Rise of the Planet of the Apes had a surprisingly large opening weekend at the North American box-office, taking an extremely healthy $54 million after garnering some of the strongest reviews of the summer.
The James Franco starring flick, which aims to reboot the franchise after Tim Burton's atrocious 2001 effort, was expected to take in about $20 million less than it ended up grossing. With strong reviews, it should end up holding well and being one of the hits of the summer. I seen it this morning and it is very good; genuinely emotive and with some excellent special effects. So far, blockbuster wise, it's up there with the best of the summer - Super 8 and X-Men: First Class.
Expect word from funding studio Fox about a sequel fairly soon.