ThePlanet of the Apesfilm franchise is one of the oldest and most extensive in Hollywood’s history. The first movie of the series, simply titledPlanet of the Apes, was released in 1968, and it starred Charlton Heston as an astronaut who crash lands on a planet populated by intelligent apes. Heston’s character, George Taylor, sees the good and bad sides of an ape civilization that rules over humans who have lost their intelligence and ability to speak. The film was loosely based on a French novel of the same name, written by Pierre Boulle, which had been published five years prior, in 1963.
In the last 60 years, thePlanet of the Apesfranchise has been substantially expanded. There are now nine feature films — with the tenth,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,set to release imminently— as well as two television series, a handful of further novels, and many other comic books as well. Across the franchise’s history, its films have experienced tremendous ups and downs, both in terms of quality and box office receipts.
However, thePlanet of the Apesseries still stands tall as the seventh highest-grossing science-fiction franchise in film history. With its total box office gross exceeding $2.2 billion, it lands above franchises likeTerminatorandAlien, though just belowStar Trek. With the franchise set to make a big return withKingdomthis summer — potentially giving it the push it needs to surpassStar Trekon that list — we’ve decided to take a look back at each film in thePlanet of the Apesfranchise and see how they fared at the box office.
9Planet of the Apes (1968) – $33 Million
Much of the success of thePlanet of the Apesfranchise is tied directly to the impact of the first film. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and co-written by Michael Wilson (Lawrence of Arabia,The Bridge on the River Kwai) and Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone), the firstApesfilm embraced its sci-fi origins while also prioritizing the socially consciousthematic material at the center of the story. It was a major success both critically and financially. It went on to be nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score, and John Chambers received an honorary Oscar for his groundbreaking work on the film’s make-up.
Planet of the Apes Was One of 1968’s Biggest Films
Over the course of its original theatrical release,Planet of the Apes’gross climbed to a total of just under $34 million. This may not seem like a lot by today’s standards, but it was the highest-grossing science-fiction film of all time at that point. It was one of the highest-grossing films of that year, and one of the most talked about movies of the late ’60s. However, it was upstaged a bit that year, as its box office and critical achievements were overshadowed by the release of another now-iconic sci-fi film, Stanley Kubrick’s2001: A Space Odyssey, which was released just a few months afterApes.
8Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – $17 Million
With the success of 1968’sPlanet of the Apes, the development of a sequel began almost immediately. 20th Century Fox was keen on producing the sequel as quickly as possible, which resulted in much of the original creative team not being involved. Serling could not produce a script quickly enough, while Schaffner was busy directing 1970’sPatton. After a script written by Boulle, the original novel’s author, was also passed on, the concept forBeneath the Planet of the Apeswas brought to life by screenwriter Paul Dehn and director Ted Post. The sequelcenters on another astronautlanding on the future Earth in search of Heston’s character from the first film.
The Beginning of Planet of the Apes as a Franchise
1970’sBeneath the Planet of the Apeswas far from the incredible success that the 1968 film had been. The reception to the film from critics and audiences was much more mixed, as some criticized the film for its bland dialogue and basic story compared to its predecessor. The box office results were half that of the first movie, asBeneathonly grossed $17 million upon its release. While this wasn’t enough to get the film onto any end-of-year lists, the movie was still fairly profitable for 20th Century Fox. The sequel was made on a budget of just $2.5 million, compared to the $6 million of the first, allowingBeneathto still turn a strong profit despite its drop in total box office.
7Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) – $12 Million
The thirdPlanet of the Apesfilm,Escape from the Planet of the Apes, took a totally different approach to the series fromBeneath the Planet of the Apes. There was once again a quick turnaround between films, asEscapewas released in theaters almost exactly a year afterBeneath, with Dehn returning to write the screenplay while Don Taylor stepped in to direct. The story saw three apes (Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Miro) traveling back in time to Los Angeles in the year 1973. From there, the set-up is almost the exact opposite of the originalApesfilm, as these characters are forced to confront the human world before the apes become the dominant species.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes Improved the Franchise in Some Ways
The biggest difference betweenEscape from the Planet of the ApesandBeneath the Planet of the Apesis the general reaction from critics and audiences. While many were let down byBeneath,Escapewas seen as a major return to form for the series, as it more clearly embraced the thematic material of the first film and challenged its viewers with a thought-provoking storyand complex characters. To this day,Escapeis frequently considered to be one of the best sequels of the originalPlanet of the Apes. Unfortunately, the box office continued to decline, asEscapeonly managed to gross $12 million upon its release. However, once again, the film was saved by a shrunken budget, which had declined to just $2 million.
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6Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) – $9 Million
The fourthPlanet of the Apescontinues to build on the new story introduced inEscape from the Planet of the Apes. This fourth film,Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, once again followed just a year afterEscape. While Dehn returned as screenwriter once again, J. Lee Thompson became the fourth director to work on the growing series.Conquestis set in a fictional 1993, twenty years after the events ofEscape, and it followsCaesar, the child of Cornelius and Zira, as he leads an uprising against an authoritarian human government that operates on the back of the slave labor of apes.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Continued the Box Office Descent
The response toConquest of the Planet of the Apesfrom critics and audiences wasn’t quite as positive as it had been forEscape, though it was still a solid continuation of the story that had begun in that film. However, it also continued the consistent downward trajectory that the franchise has been on at the box office. As the fourthPlanet of the Apesfilm in five years,Conquesttopped out at just $9 million at the box office. With a budget of $1.7 million, this was still enough to make a profit, though the budget limitations were beginning to show, as the makeup and effects were not as great as they once had been.
5Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) – $8 Million
The final film in the originalPlanet of the Apesseries was 1973’sBattle for the Planet of the Apes. Once again, the film followed just a year after the last, and it continued the story of Caesar that was begun inConquest of the Planet of the Apes. The story details the final years that apes and humanity shared the Earth, though tensions are high and the filmdetails the violent uprisings and conflictsthat occur as the two species attempt to dominate one another. Dehn was hired to write the screenplay, though he shared writing duties with both John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington on this final film. J. Lee Thompson returned to direct, becoming the first director to work on more than one film in the series.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes Was the End of the Franchise
Battle for the Planet of the Apeswas advertised as the finalPlanet of the Apesfilm, though it seems likely that the original series would have ended here whether it was meant to or not.Battleperformed very similarly toConquest, as it grossed just $8 million at the box office on a budget of $1.7 million. While that was a decent performance, the critical and audience reception to the film was the worst it had been in the series’ history. At this point, it was clear thatPlanet of the Apeswas losing steam at the box office. While efforts were made to keep the franchise alive through a 1974 live-action television series on CBS and an animated series on NBC in 1975, both served as further proof that thePlanet of the Apesseries was running on fumes.
4Planet of the Apes (2001) – $362 Million
Planet of the Apes
It would be nearly 30 years until thePlanet of the Apesseries would return to theaters. This new film would be a complete reboot of the series, directed by Tim Burton. Like the original 1968 film, 2001’sPlanet of the Apesis a loose adaptation of the original 1963 novel, as an astronaut crashes on a planet run by a civilization of intelligent apes. Mark Wahlberg plays the lead role in the film (a character named Leo Davidson), while the apes in the film are portrayed by an impressive cast that includes Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Paul Giamatti, and Michael Clarke Duncan.
Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes Showed There Was Still Interest
The 2001Planet of the Apesreboot has a somewhat complicated legacy. That’s because the film was a solid success at the box office despite the overwhelmingly negative response to it. The reception from both critics and audiences was far from what 20th Century Fox and Tim Burton had hoped for, and Burton has since beenvery outspoken about his negative experiencewith the movie, going as far as saying that he would “rather jump out a window” than make a sequel. However, with a $100 million budget, 2001’sPlanet of the Apesopened with nearly $70 million, which was the second-highest debut of the year, as well as the largest July opening in history at that point. Overall, the film went on to gross $180 million in North America and a global total of $362 million. The lesson here was clear: audiences were interested in newPlanet of the Apesmovies, just not like this.
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3Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) – $470 Million
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Any development of a sequel to Tim Burton’sPlanet of the Apesfell apart shortly after the film’s release in 2001. However, 20th Century Fox decided to try and reboot the franchise once again. Ultimately, it was the writing duo of Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver that came up with the story that would become 2011’sRise of the Planet of the Apes. Directed by Rupert Wyatt, this latest reboot tookmost of its inspiration from the originalPlanet of the Apessequels, primarilyEscape from the Planet of the ApesandConquest of the Planet of the Apes. With the apes brought to life with motion-capture technology rather than practical makeup, Andy Serkis joined the cast as Caesar, a hyper-intelligent ape who serves as the catalyst for a new ape civilization.
The Beginning of a New Planet of the Apes Trilogy
WhenRise of the Planet of the Apeshit theaters in 2011, it quickly became clear that Tim Burton’s 2001 film had not killed general audiences’ interest in the franchise.Risewas significantly better, and the positive word of mouth drove the movie to a $54 million opening weekend. It then demonstrated decent box office stamina, as it grew to a total of $176 million in North America and $294 million overseas. With a worldwide total of $470 million, on a budget of $96 million, the film successfully turned the franchise around. While it was far from the highest-grossing movie of the year, it was a solid win that was more than strong enough to build on.
2Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – $710 Million
dawn of the Planet of the apes movie
The much-anticipated sequel toRise of the Planet of the Apeswould come three years later, asDawn of the Planet of the Apesopened in the summer of 2014. The team behindRisewas originally meant to return, as Wyatt was signed on to direct a sequel and Jaffa and Silver had already written a script. However, as development continued, Wyatt was replaced by Matt Reeves, and the script was rewritten by Mark Bomback. The result was a film that felt much more dystopian thanRisehad, as it tackled the building tensions between humanity and Caesar’s ape colony following humanity’s collapsedue to a global pandemic, ultimately leading to a war that neither side wanted.
A New Era for Planet of the Apes
WhileRise of the Planet of the Apeswas a success,Dawn of the Planet of the Apesbecame one of the defining blockbusters of 2014. The film received acclaim that the franchise had not seen since the original film opened in 1968, and the buzz surrounding the film was inescapable. With a $72 million opening,Dawnwent on to gross $208 million in North America and a whopping $502 million overseas. With a global total of $710 million, this easily madeDawnthe highest-grossing film in thePlanet of the Apesfranchise, a title it still holds to this day. It also became the eighth-highest-grossing movie of 2014, and it earned an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.
1War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) – $489 Million
War for the Planet of the Apes
Finally, the most recentPlanet of the Apesfilm at this point is 2017’sWar for the Planet of the Apes, the concluding chapter in the modern trilogy starring Serkis as Caesar. The film picks up several years afterDawn, as humanity and the apes are at all-out war with one another. Humanity is gasping for breath, while the apes' civilization continues to evolve and Caesar is faced with the toughest challenges he has ever faced.Warwas clearly made to serve as the finale of this trilogy, and Serkis gives one of the best performances of his career in the lead role. Reeves returned to the director’s chair, with Bomback also returning to co-write the screenplay alongside the filmmaker.
War of the Planet of the Apes Is a Strong (But Not Perfect) Finish
The reception toWar for the Planet of the Apeswas similarly strong to that ofDawn, though the movie itself didn’t quite catch on as much as its predecessor had. It opened to $56 million in North America, down $15 million from the last film, and it did not demonstrate the same kind of staying power thatDawnhad at the box office. Still, the film was considered a box office success, as it pulled in $146 million in North America and $342 million overseas. With a global total of $489 million,Warcompleted its run over $200 million belowDawn.
Some attribute this decline tothe film’s dour tone, while others believe that the summer of 2017 was overloaded with sequels and franchise fare. Still, the film did well for itself and the strong positive response certainly helped, and the franchise was left in a strong enough place forKingdom of the Planet of the Apesto continue its story seven years later.
