Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes roared into first place at the box office over the weekend. The newest in the Planet of the Apes franchise, it garnered $131 million globally at the box office. Domestically, it brought in $58.5 million. This exceeded industry expectations.
This also marks the second biggest domestic opening in the current Planet of the Apes series and is the biggest opening of director Wes Ball’s career. The film stars stars Freya Allan, Owen Teague, and Kevin Durand.
“It is a great result – a testament to the quality of the movie, the love and affinity for the franchise and it is a great way to kick-start the summer box office,” commented Tony Chambers, EVP of Theatrical Distribution.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes follows three other films in this series, 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. Cumulatively, they have brought in over $1.6 billion in the global box office. Ball shared that it also acts as a “kind of a prequel and a sequel” in that it falls after the last three films, but before the events of the 1968 classic.
“We gave it a new spirit, a new character, a younger character, who’s going to rediscover a world with us as the audience,” Ball said.
The new film takes place many generations after War for the Planet of the Apes. It tells the story of a young ape’s harrowing journey across a new empire. It also has been a hit with critics. It is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and critics are praising its innovative special effects, scale, and cinematic beauty. They are also saying it is one of the best entries in the franchise.
“This movie is built for that great collective dream that we all enter when we go to a theater together. It’s meant to be big,” Ball said. “You want to immerse yourself in this world that is just incredibly rich and visual.”
Did you see Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes this weekend? What did you think of it? What is your favorite film in the entire franchise? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
