8. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (Estimated Gross: $575m)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the sleeper hit of 2011, with positive word-of-mouth that saw it buck the trend of most August releases and show legs at the box office, ultimately closing with over $175m domestic and a worldwide total of $481.1m. Not bad for a franchise that began way back in 1968 and had been in stasis since Tim Burton's much-maligned 2001 re-imagining. Of course, it helped that the movie was one of the best reboots ever made, featuring a stunning performance from mo-cap king Andy Serkis as Caesar, as well as a powerful emotional undercurrent to the story. Confidently directed by Rupert Wyatt, the intelligent blockbuster has remained popular and developed a huge following that eagerly await the sequel. Despite a change of director, the immensely talented Matt Reeves seems like a safe bet to deliver a worthy follow-up, hopes that were only increased by a spine-tingling teaser trailer. With the story set 8 years later and featuring an all-new human cast, there is no danger of Dawn being too similar to its predecessor either. The first movie opened to $54.8m domestically and held the top spot at the box office for two weeks, and held very well throughout August 2011. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' July 11 release date sees it open two weeks after the no doubt front-loaded Transformers: Age of Extinction, and it faces little blockbuster competition until Guardians of the Galaxy opens on August 1. With a solid release date and a lot of goodwill towards the first installment, expect the sequel to comfortably out-gross it.
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