5. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes
The $72m opening weekend was 33% higher than Rise of The Planet of The Apes, demonstrating the esteem in which that film is held. The only way is down, usually, but Cloverfield director Matt Reeves boldly created a follow-up that matched its predecessor’s excitement and intelligence and took mo-cap technology to a new apex.
Even James Cameron must have muttered, “How the hell did they do that?!” The most critically acclaimed blockbuster of the summer, its final $204m tally was well-deserved and ensures that the Apes will rise again – on July 29th 2016 to be precise.
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
There was a sneaking suspicion that this ‘Old Cast Meets New Cast’ entry might have turned out to the X:Men version of Star Trek: Generations, with all the negative, disappointing connotations that suggests. It was a masterstroke to bring back director Bryan Singer, whose absence has been felt ever since he vacated the chair after X2.
Days of Future Past pleased the core fan-base but a 64% drop in its second week suggests that the well of X-Love isn’t as deep as it seems. Its eventual $232m total didn’t match Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s spring grosses, and he’s supposed to be the boring one.
