'Planet of the Apes' Sequel Boosts 21st Century Fox Results

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc (NASDAQ:FOXA), the film and TV company controlled by Rupert Murdoch, reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit, helped by growth in cable network and film studio businesses.

The company reported revenue of $7.89 million, which beat analysts' average estimate of $6.25 billion, largely driven by the box-office success "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Fault in Our Stars".

Fox shares rose 1.5 percent to $33.80 after the bell on Tuesday.

Revenue from cable networks, the company's largest business, rose 15 percent, while filmed entertainment revenue was up 16.8 percent.

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" picks up the story of 2011 film "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" 10 years later. Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, a brainy ape who leads his species and negotiates their interactions with the few humans who survived a deadly virus.

The films are reboots of the franchise that began with the 1968 classic film about apes that launch a revolution.

"The Fault in Our Stars", produced for just $12 million, is based on John Green's best-selling novel about a girl who wheels around a portable oxygen tank as she fights metastatic cancer, and her boyfriend who lost a leg to the disease.

Net income attributable to shareholders fell to $1.04 billion, or 47 cents per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, from $1.26 billion, or 54 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2013.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned 39 cents per share. Analysts had expected a profit of 36 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters /B/E/S.

Filmed entertainment revenue rose 16.8 to $2.48 billion, while advertising sales boosted cable network revenue to $3.23 billion.

(Reporting By Lehar Maan and Sai Sachin R in Bangalore; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)