Released in 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes successfully revived the dormant franchise. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth film in the series from producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who initially had plans for nine movies.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the pair explained that the franchise's future depends on audience interest. "With Kingdom, we really feel like we set the foundation for at least two more movies with these characters. But we'll see. A lot of it depends on the audience's reaction, too," Jaffa said. "When you first came up with this idea [for] the Apes franchise way back, you saw nine movies," Silver added. "We thought, 'This is crazy ambitious.' But here we are. We're at four."

"I saw nine. I don't know if we'll make it to nine," Jaffa continued. "I would love it. We've spoken to not just [director] Wes [Ball] and [writer] Josh [Friedman] and [producer] Joe Hartwick Jr., but to Steve Asbell and Scott Aversano at 20th [Century Studios] about what these next movies can be." Silver went on to explain what makes the movies so special. "It's really interesting to be working on a franchise which is so quietly subversive in its way and has something to say and asks questions," she said.

Record Breaking Opening Weekend

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes reached a box office milestone for the franchise in its opening weekend. Early previews propelled the film to earnings of $6.6 million, marking the highest for the entire movie series. Early reviews for the latest entry in the Planet of the Apes reboot series have also been impressive, with a fresh critic score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a 79% audience score based on over 1000 verified ratings.

The Planet of the Apes franchise began in 1968 and was based on the 1963 novel La Planète des Singes by French author Pierre Boulle. The story follows astronaut George Taylor (played by Charlton Heston), who lands on a planet ruled by apes where humans are primitive creatures. It was followed by four sequels - Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).

After a 28-year hiatus, the franchise was rebooted in 2001 with Planet of the Apes, directed by Tim Burton. The film retold the original story but did not spawn any sequels. The reboot series includes Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set 300 years after the reboot trilogy and explores the world in the aftermath of Caesar's death.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is currently playing in theaters worldwide.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter