Rise of the Planet of the Apes swung to the number one spot this weekend as it opened to an estimated $54 million in sales at the North American box office.

A prequel to the 1968 film Planet of the Apes, it tells the story of how experiments gone awry lead to an epic battle between man and his ancestral species. The film’s receipts were “much better than expected,” said industry analyst Paul Degerabedian.

Though small and blue, The Smurfs proved resilient at their second week at the box office while reaping $21 million in second place, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations estimated.

After entering at number one last week, Hollywood action thriller Cowboys & Aliens marked its second week at theatres with a projected $15 million in sales, slipping to third spot.

Comedy date flick The Change-Up marked its debut weekend in fourth place with $13.5 million in sales, as Captain America: The First Avenger showed some muscle, slipping just two spots to fifth place with $13 million.

Summer blockbuster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 dropped from fourth to sixth place during its fourth week at theatres.

Romantic comedies Crazy, Stupid, Love and Friends with Benefits rounded out the seven and eight spots for the weekend as they took in $12.2 million and $4.7 million respectively.

Horrible Bosses, a dark comedy in its fifth week at the box office, scored $4.6 million in ninth place and Transformers: Dark of the Moon continued to roll within the top 10 in last place at a projected $3 million in sales during its sixth week.