Rise of the Planet of the Apes exceeded expectations, and buoyed by great word of mouth and solid film reviews, the feature took in $54 million, easily besting the competition.

Click on the media bar and listen to James Franco talk about the link between the Michael Cunningham book Specimen Days and Rise of the Planet of the Apes:

Fellow newcomer The Change-Up sputtered to a fourth place finish ($13.5 million), while Cowboys & Aliens continues to underwhelm with just $15.8 million.  Here’s the top 10:

1.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes - One of this summer’s biggest surprises (along with Bridesmaids), as the origin story of Caesar (Andy Serkis) has reinvigorated the franchise.  $54 million

2.  The Smurfs - $21 million

3. Cowboys & Aliens - What happens when you mix cowboys and aliens?  A box office turkey.  The Harrison Ford/Daniel Craig misfire, which had an estimated $163 million budget, managed just $15.8 million this weekend.

4.  The Change-Up - Ryan Reynolds has the honor of starring in two box office stinkers this summer.  At least Jason Bateman has Horrible Bosses. $13.5 million

5.  Captain America: The First Avenger - The picture has been a solid performer for Paramount, as it’s collected over $145 million domestically.  This weekend, it took in $13 million

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 - $12.2 million

7.  Crazy, Stupid, Love - It’s a smart and inspired comedy that, although it finished sixth with $12.1 million, is on pace to receive a moderate box office return.  A fall release for the Steve Carell comedy/drama may have been a better plan for Warner Bros.

8.  Friends with Benefits - $4.7 million

9.  Horrible Bosses - $4.6 million

10.  Transformers: Dark of the Moon - $3 million

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