The apes have conquered the box office. Visual effects bonanza Dawn of the Planet of the Apes easily captured the top spot at this weekend’s box office, grossing $73 million and earning critical raves. The film, a sequel to 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, wasn't enough to completely revive the lackluster summer box office, but did far surpass the first film’s $54.8 million debut.

Transformers: Age of Extinction, starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Michael Bay, fell to second place with an additional $16.5 million and crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office.

Coming in third was comedy wunderkind Melissa McCarthy's Tammy, with $12.9 million for the weekend and $57.4 million total so far. While the comedy underwhelmed critics, it continues to do well at the box office.

Rounding out the top five are 22 Jump Street, starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ice Cube, and the animated family film How to Train Your Dragon 2, bringing in $6.7 million and $5.9 million respectively.

Next week, Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal get raunchy in the adult comedy Sex Tape.
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(Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)