Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was finally unleashed in theaters for preview screenings last night, taking in a healthy $4.1 million from 10 PM and midnight previews.

This sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes opened in 2,750 theaters, but managed to fall short of recent hits such as X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla and Transformers: Age of Extinction, which earned between $8 and $10 million during their Thursday night debuts.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes did fare much better than its predecessor, 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which only took in $1.4 million en route to a solid $54.8 million opening weekend. The first movie ended up grossing $177 million domestically and $305 million worldwide.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes does have the critics on its side, with a 92% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, besting Rise of the Planet of the Apes' 82% rating. The sequel currently represents 70% of ticket sales on Fandango, which puts it on pace to have an opening weekend similar to last year's World War Z, which took in $66.7 million in its three-day debut.