Is 20th Century Studios high on their latest “Planet Of The Apes” movie or do they not want to have it vie against the upcoming Warner Bros. behemoth “Furiosa“? Either way, “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes” moves up two weeks from its original Memorial Day weekend release to May 10.
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The new release date now pits the fourth installment in the reboot series against the Amy Winehouse biopic “Back To Black,” Sony‘s “Horrorscope,” and an untitled film from Angel Studios. Those are easier box office combatants than “Furiosa,” to be sure. The move-up also gives “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes” fourteen days on IMAX screens before “Furiosa” hits theaters. In that case, every studio wins. The first “Apes” movie to hit IMAX screens gives 20th Century Studios two weeks to dominate that arena, while “Furiosa” may reign supreme once it’s Memorial Day Weekend.
“Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes” picks up centuries after the events of 2017’s “War Of The Planet Of The Apes,” with a young ape embarking on a journey that makes him question everything he thought about Caesar’s reign, ape-human relations, and the future of the planet. Wes Ball directs a screenplay by Patrick Aison, Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver. Owen Teague stars as Noa, the new primate main character. Other cast members include Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Travis Jeffrey, Lydia Peckham, Neil Sandilands, and Peter Macon. William H. Macy also stars, with Eka Darville, Ras-Samuel Weld A’abzgi, Sara Wiseman, and Dichen Lachman in supporting roles.
It’s no surprise that 20th Century Studios moved up their latest “Apes” installment because the series’ latest trilogy did very well at the box office last decade. The three films in the reboot series from 2011-2017 grossed $1.68 billion combined globally. That’s much more than the original series did, or Tim Burton‘s 2001 remake, which raked up over $362 million worldwide. All told, “The Planet Of The Apes” franchise has made over $2.1 billion worldwide, and the new one will undoubtedly add to that total. Even more so now with its new May 10 release date.
Of course, we’re only two weeks into 2024, so there may be more release date shuffling from other studios on the way. But expect “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes” to be one of the year’s first major blockbusters, all the more now that it’ll have two weeks all alone on IMAX screens.
