Box Office: 'Apes' beats 'Help,' 'Final Destination'

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" continued its wild ride at the North American box office, beating its competition and hanging on to the No. 1 spot with a solid weekend gross of $27.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Rupert Wyatt-directed action adventure about the origin of the "Apes" franchise scored a strong average of $7,451 per theater at 3,691 locations this weekend, bringing its domestic gross to $104.6 million after a two-week run.

Coming in second was "The Help," which earned $25.5 million from ticket sales at 2,534 locations. Helmed by Tate Taylor, the big-screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's popular novel focuses on the lives of three women in a small town.

Meanwhile, new entry "Final Destination 5" landed in third place, picking up $18.4 million. It looks like the franchise is losing some steam, considering the fifth film bagged considerably less than its 2009 predecessor ($27.4 million).

Two new films delivered disappointing performances this weekend. Ruben Fleischer's new comedy "30 Minutes or Less" only made it to No. 5, earning a weak $13 million, while "Glee The 3D Concert Movie" pulled in $5.7 million at No. 11.

Also, "The Smurfs" slipped to fourth place this weekend, generating $13.5 million for a cumulative gross of $101.5 million. At No. 6, Jon Favreau's adventure "Cowboys & Aliens" took home $7.6 million, bringing its total haul to $81.4 million.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" reached a cume of $156.8 million after weekend earnings of $7.1 million in seventh place, while "Crazy, Stupid, Love" collected $6.9 million for a total gross of $55.4 million.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" made $6.8 million in ninth place ($356.9 million), followed by "The Change-Up" with $6.2 million and a disastrous total gross of $25.7 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)