“Apes Together Strong!”
The Planet of the Apes franchise has fascinated us humans since 1968. While the classic movies introduced the concept of a world with ape rulers and human slaves, the recent ones have rebooted the franchise with more realistic storylines. Regardless of the era, the Planet of the Apes movies have revolutionised sci-fi in Hollywood with socially relevant themes, practical makeup, and subsequently motion-capture visual effects.
To celebrate the release of 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, here are all the movies in both chronological and release order along with all the places where you can stream them.
How to Watch the Planet of the Apes movies in chronological order
The Planet of the Apes franchise can be divided into three timelines. The first is the original series that ran from 1968 to 1973. This was then followed by a standalone remake in 2001 that was directed by Tim Burton. The series was then rebooted in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes which continues to this day with sequels.
Planet of the Apes Original Series
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Planet of the Apes (1968)
Planet of the Apes Remake
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Planet of the Apes (2001)
Planet of the Apes Reboot Series
The first Planet of the Apes movie was released in 1968 and starred Charlton Heston as an astronaut stranded on the titular planet in a dystopian future. Here, talking apes rule while mute humans are held captive. The film delved into class struggles and slavery while serving as a cutting-edge sci-fi epic for its time. Four direct sequels followed although they couldn’t replicate the first movie’s success.
In 2001, Batman director Tim Burton sought to reboot the franchise with a direct remake of the 1968 movie. Also titled Planet of the Apes, this remake found Mark Wahlberg replacing Heston’s part. Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Roth also star as the apes. The movie failed to win over critics and audiences, squashing hopes for any sequels.
The franchise found new life in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This movie was different from the previous ones in the sense that it was set in the present time and not a dystopian future. Through motion capture technology, Andy Serkis played Caesar, a highly-intelligent chimpanzee who is pushed to start a rebellion against humanity. The war between humans and the apes under Caesar is fleshed out further in the two sequels directed by Matt Reeves: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes.
The latest part in this reboot franchise is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes that is set three centuries after Caesar’s lifetime. With all reboot movies gaining immensely positive reviews for its story, action, and CGI, more potential sequels are to be expected.
How to Watch the Planet of the Apes movies in release order
You can check out the release order of Planet of the Apes movies in our list below where we have also compiled all offers to stream/buy/rent these movies in India.
