Disney Plus’s number one movie is one of the biggest hits of the year

Another absolutely massive movie has arrived on Disney Plus, and it has nothing to do with Pixar, Star Wars or Marvel.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has arrived on the streamer, and unsurprisingly has shot right to the top spot in almost every territory, according to Flixpatrol.

The film only arrived in cinemas in May, less than three months ahead of its release on Disney Plus.

That might be considered a sign a movie wasn’t much of a hit. But that’s absolutely not the case with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

It is the eighth highest grossing film of 2024 at the time of writing, according to Box Office Mojo, earning $397 million in cinemas.

Sure, it’s only a modest success given Dawn of the Planet of the Apes made $710 million a decade ago. But that was, well, a decade ago, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is attempting to revive the franchise for yet another trilogy of movies.

It was also a solid critical hit, earning an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score. We didn’t necessarily expect it to be as good as it is, coming from director Wes Ball, whose Maze Runner sequels have not exactly proved the stuff of a cineaste’s dreams.

There’s no official confirmation of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’s follow-up yet. But we have fingers crossed this one will happen.

The film hews closer to the beats of the original 1968 movie, rather than the brilliant trilogy formed of the 2011-2017 films.

Either way, we’ll be waiting a while for the next Planet of the Apes instalment. If you fancy digging into the three previous eras of the series: the originals, the short-lived Tim Burton era and the “modern” reboot, the whole lot is available on Disney Plus.

Here’s the full list, in release order:

• Planet of the Apes (1968)
• Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
• Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
• Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
• Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
• Planet of the Apes (2001)
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
• War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
• Kindgom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Just want to catch up with the best of the lot? You’re not missing out on any classics if you stick to the 1968 original and the films from 2011 and newer.

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