The monkey business is a good business to be in at the box office.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” roared to $73 million on its opening weekend, one of the summer’s best debuts, according to studio estimates Sunday. The 20th Century Fox sequel easily surpassed the $54.8 million opening to 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” the reboot of the fabled chimp franchise.

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Andy Serkis plays the lead ape, Caesar, in a scene from “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” The sequel had a global opening gross of $104.1 million globally. The Associated Press

In a summer heavy on hype but thin on quality, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” has proven to be one of the few hits that combined both spectacle and substance. Directed by Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”), the 3-D “Dawn” has drawn enthusiasm from critics and moviegoers alike, particularly for the motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis as the film’s lead ape, Caesar. In the film, Caesar’s tribe suspiciously encounters a colony of surviving humans on a planet overrun by intelligent apes.

“When you get the kind of reviews we got and the audience actually agrees, it’s the kind of rare thing where critics and audiences come together and say this is a great movie,” said Chris Aronson, head of distribution at Fox.

A sequel to be directed by Reeves is already in the works to further extend the franchise that first began with 1968’s “Planet of the Apes,” based on Pierre Boulle’s French novel. Four movies followed in the 1970s, as well as a failed 2001 reboot by Tim Burton.

But “Dawn” will easily dwarf previous installments. It added $31.1 million overseas for a global gross of $104.1 million.

“Transformers” slid to second with $16.5 million for the weekend and “Tammy” was third with $12.9 million.

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