'War for the Planet of the Apes' roars past 'Spider-Man'
By JAKE COYLE, Associated Press
Jul 16, 2017 10:04 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — "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.

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.