'Planet of the Apes' climbs over 'Transformers' to win U.S. box office

The 3D “Apes” movie collected $73 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday, according to estimates from Rentrak. “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” a sequel that ruled the box office the two previous weekends, dropped to second place with takings of $16.5 million.

“Tammy,” a comedy starring Melissa McCarthy as a fast-food worker who gets fired, claimed the No. 3 spot with $12.9 million.

“Apes” picks up the story of the 2011 film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” 10 years later. Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, a brainy ape who leads his species and negotiates their interactions with the few humans who have survived a deadly virus.

The films are reboots of a franchise that began with the 1968 classic film “Planet of the Apes”, about apes that launch a revolution.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of 21st Century Fox. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, distributed “Transformers.” Sony Corp’s movie studio released “Tammy.” (Reuters)