The Planet of the Apes franchise is still active, but the future of the next movie looks a bit confusing. The sci-fi genre is home to some of the best movies of all time as well as some of the most popular (and profitable) franchises of all time. Among them is the Planet of the Apes franchise, based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel of the same name.
The first movie in the franchise arrived in 1968, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston. The movie is now among the best sci-fi movies of all time, and spawned a franchise with 10 movies, two TV shows, and various video games. The Planet of the Apes franchise is still active, and a new movie is on its way.
How Much Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Cost & How Much It Made
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes an ape fighting
The Planet of the Apes movie series is divided into three parts: the original series with five movies, Tim Burton’s remake, and the current reboot series with four movies so far. Like with any other big franchise, the Planet of the Apes movie series has had its hits and misses.
This has been the case with the reboot series, which has had an inconsistent run so far. The reboot series started in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and its latest installment is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, released in 2024. Directed by Wes Ball, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a standalone sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the first movie in the franchise produced by Disney after the acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was well-received by critics, currently holding an 80% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes – however, as important as critical reception is, what dictates the future of the franchise is Kingdom’s box office numbers.
According to Variety, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes had a budget of $160 million, so it needed around $350-400 million to break even. Now, according to Box Office Mojo, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes grossed $397.3 million, landing comfortably in the range it needed to break even.
It can be said that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was a modest box office success, which would be enough for Disney to grant it a sequel.
Disney Seemingly Confirmed A New Planet Of The Apes Movie For 2027
Noa and Soona in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Back in the summer of 2022, Disney reportedly planned for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to be the start of a new film series in the franchise. Director Wes Ball confirmed those plans the following year, and so a sequel to Kingdom has been expected to happen since before the movie came out.
However, while there hasn’t been proper confirmation from Disney on the development of a new Planet of the Apes movie, there have been teases about it. The most recent one came in October 2024, when 20th Century Studios’ President of Production, Steve Asbell, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the studio’s plans for the near future.
When speaking about the balance between the studio’s output of original and franchise movies, Asbell casually mentioned that a new Planet of the Apes movie is coming in 2027. At the time of writing, there haven’t been any updates or details on the next movie.
Where The Planet Of The Apes Franchise Is Heading Next
Mae in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
As mentioned above, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is planned as the beginning of the new trilogy, though set in the same universe as the previous reboot movies (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War of the Planet of the Apes).
As such, the 2027 Planet of the Apes movie is expected to be a proper sequel to Kingdom, which takes place 300 years after the events of War. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes follows Noa (Own Teague), a young chimpanzee hunter who sets out to rescue his kin after tyrannical ape leader Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) raids his village.
During his journey, Noa meets Mae (Freya Allan), an intelligent human who joins him, even though they have opposing views. The ending of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes perfectly sets up a sequel, as well as a deeper exploration of the human-and-apes relationship, politics, social issues, and of this universe, in general.
At the time of writing, the future of the Planet of the Apes franchise is all about building a new trilogy and expanding this universe, and it’s to be seen if it will truly be a trilogy, as a bad box office performance from the second movie could change the studio’s plans.
Sources: Variety, Box Office Mojo, The Hollywood Reporter.
Created by
Pierre Boulle
Cast
Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, Linda Harrison, Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Woody Harrelson, Amiah Miller, Kevin Durand, Dichen Lachman, William H. Macy, Owen Teague, Freya Allan
Movie(s)
Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes