Apes Dominate The US Box Office

The Change-Up loses out.... Cheer up, Caesar! With some solid reviews and positive word of mouth, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was able to make a monkey (har har) out of the competition this weekend, earning a healthy $54 million at the US box office. Last week's place-swapping duo The Smurfs and Cowboys and Aliens both took a tumble, with the little blue creatures down 41% for $21 million and Jon Favreau's Western-meets-sci-fi romp falling 58% for a $15. 7 million second weekend. They were shoved down to second and third place, respectively. There was also a serious lack of good news for new Jason Bateman/Ryan Reynolds comedy The Change-Up, which launched in fourth place with a decidedly average $13. 5 million. It'll have to work to recoup its reported $52 million budget. Captain America: The First Avenger rounded out the top five with $13 million in its third week. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was sixth with $12. 2 million, Crazy, Stupid, Love slipped to seventh with $12. 1 million, and Friends with Benefits was eighth with $4. 7 million. At ninth we find the other Jason Bateman comedy, Horrible Bosses, which earned $4. 6 million and in 10th place, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which added $3 million for a running US total take of $344. 1 million. To revolt against your oppressive overlords, start the revolution with figures over at Box Office Mojo.