HBO Max viewers are revisiting one of the best sci-fi film series of the 21st century this week, and we can only speculate about why. According to FlixPatrol, three of the top 10 movies on HBO Max this week are War for the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. That leaves off only the first installment, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which is also streaming now on HBO Max. These apocalyptic blockbusters are always worth a rewatch, so audiences don’t need any particular excuse to put them up on the charts again. Sadly, there is no update on the next movie in the franchise to accompany this surge.
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According to FlixPatrol, the third installment in the reboot series, War for the Planet of the Apes, is the seventh most-watched movie on HBO Max this week, while the second, Dawn of the Plant of the Apes, is at number four. The latest movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is the number two movie on the streamer, but it’s worth noting that it has about half as many views as the service’s number one movie this week — the relatively new Final Destination Bloodlines.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes brought this franchise into the modern era using motion-capture technology and CGI to render the apes more realistically than any of the groundbreaking installments that came before. The series depicted the scientific breakthrough that granted apes intelligence and simultaneously brought human civilization to its knees, then followed its characters through several adventures in their new world. It’s still a long way off from the original film series, which is set in the year 3978 CE.
The newer movies were praised for their approach to complex topics, with many fans seeing this as a much-needed reset for the sci-fi genre in Hollywood. At the same time, they managed to excel as blockbuster spectacles with plenty of heart and character to keep audiences hooked. This trend continued even in last year’s belated sequel Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is set more than 300 years in the future.
Last we heard from 20th Century Studios, a sequel to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is in development, but is not expected to premiere until 2027. There have been no major updates since then, so it’s hard to say how the project is progressing. writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have said that they’d be interested in contributing to as many as five more movies in this franchise, depending on how they’re received.
Hopefully this summertime streaming surge serves as a sign to studios that there’s an interest in more from this franchise. The Planet of the Apes reboot series is streaming now on HBO Max.
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Image courtesy of Netflix
