Planet of the Apes Rules the Box Office

War for the Planet of the Apes took down Spider-Man: Homecoming at the North American box office, opening with an estimated $56.5 million in ticket sales, reports the AP. Though some initially expected a closer race, Spider-Man dropped to second with $45.2 million after its No. 1 debut last weekend. Boosted by strong reviews, Fox's War for the Planet of the Apes easily came out on top.

That still put the third Planet of the Apes film in the rebooted franchise, well behind the previous 2014 installment, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. That sequel launched with $72.6 million. After three weeks of limited release, Kumail Nanjiani's acclaimed romantic comedy The Big Sick expanded nationwide over the weekend. It pulled in $7.7 million in about 2,600 theaters. (More War for the Planet of the Apes stories.)