Weekend Movie Box Office Receipts Go ‘Ape’

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” rose to the top of the box office heap this weekend, with a $54 million estimated box office gate. That was a “much better than expected performance for the weekend,” said movie analyst Paul Degerabedian.

“The Smurfs” continued its surprising showing, with a $21 million estimated take this weekend in the U.S. and Canada. It has generated nearly $129 million in sales worldwide, said Dergerabedian, who analyzes movie receipts fro Hollywood.com.

Rounding out the list of 10 most-popular movies, as reported by the studios and compiled by Hollywood.com, are “Cowboys & Aliens” ($15.7 million), “The Change-Up” ($13.5 million), “Capt. America: The First Avenger” ($13 million), “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II” ($12.2 million), “Crazy, Stupid, Love” ($12.1 million), “Friends With Benefits” ($4.7 million), “Horrible Bosses” ($4.6 million), and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” ($3 million).