Introduction
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, American science fiction film written and directed by Josh Friedman, was released in 2024. Set 300 years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), it is a stand-alone sequel. The narrative follows Mae (Freya Allan), a human lady, and Noa (Owen Teague), a juvenile chimpanzee, as they negotiate the future of apes and humans. Filming for the project started in 2019 and will run from October 2022 until February 2023. The movie made about $397 million in revenue globally between its May 2, 2024, premiere, and May 10, 2024, release.
Plot
Apes continue to flourish and humans have regressed, generations after Caesar's death. The ape king Proximus Caesar leads a group of robbers that demolish little chimpanzee Noa's group. Assisting Mae, a perceptive human, Noa aims to save his group and prevent Proximus from taking use of antiquated human technology. In an attempt to bring back human speech, Mae and her allies destroy Proximus' vault by sabotaging it. Mae use a satellite key to communicate with humans while Noa's clan rebuilds, raising concerns about amicable coexistence between humans and apes.
Cast
Apes
Apes now live in groups and humans have devolved into cavemen, generations after Caesar's death. The ape king Proximus Caesar leads a group of robbers that demolish little chimpanzee Noa's group. Noa works with the human intelligence Mae to save his clan and prevent Proximus from utilizing antiquated human technology. In an attempt to bring back human voice, Mae blows up Proximus' vault, causing it to fall. There is hope for a peaceful coexistence between apes and humans when Mae uses a satellite key to contact other people as Noa's clan begins to recover.
Humans
Mae, portrayed by Freya Allan, is a young lady with her own objectives who travels with Noa in tandem. Raka and Noa refer to her as “Nova.” Trevathan, played by William H. Macy, is an astute human who serves as Proximus Caesar's principal counselor and instructs him on human history. Korina, a leader in the human satellite base, is portrayed by Dichen Lachman.
Production
A fourth Planet of the Apes movie, as suggested by Matt Reeves in October 2016, would tackle problems between apes other than Caesar's group. Disney revealed in April 2019 that Wes Ball would be directing new Planet of the Apes movies in development. Ball declared in 2020 that the movie would carry on Caesar's legacy. The movie was retitled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes by 2022 and took place 300 years after Caesar's demise. In it, a young chimpanzee named Noa explores a world and rediscovers wisdom that has been forgotten. The movie explores concepts of space and what might be possible in the future, leaving some details up to the viewers' imagination.
Casting
Owen Teague was chosen to play the main character in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in August 2022. Later, the ensemble was completed by Travis Jeffery, Neil Sandilands, Sara Wiseman, Lydia Peckham, Ras-Samuel Weld A'abzgi, William H. Macy, and Dichen Lachman. Later additions included Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Eka Darville, and Kevin Durand. Teague researched chimpanzees at the Center for Great Apes. His portrayal of Noa was informed by a chimp by the name of Bentley.
Filming
With partial financing from the Australian Government, principal photography on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes got underway at Disney Studios Australia in Sydney in October 2022. On February 15, 2023, filming under the working title Forbidden Zone came to an end. Motion-capture and on-location shooting were both used.
Post-production and visual effects
Erik Winquist oversaw visual effects, while Wđtā FX created the effects. The movie tried for an Avatar-style aesthetic, but instead of using The Volume technology, it employed complete computer generated imagery. Realistic ape interactions with water were achieved by utilizing Avatar, The Way of Water techniques.
Music
The music for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was composed by John Paesano, who collaborated with Ball on The Maze Runner series. The score featured elements from Jerry Goldsmith's 1968 picture. Hollywood Records published the soundtrack on May 10, 2024.
Release
Box office
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has made $397 million globally as of July 21, 2024, with $170.9 million in earnings in the United States and Canada and $226.1 million abroad. The movie opened with the third-highest opening weekend gross in the franchise, $58.4 million. In its second weekend, it brought in $25.5 million, and in its third, $13.4 million. With $72.7 million at launch internationally, China ($11.4 million) and France ($7.1 million) led the way.
Critical response
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has made $397 million in total revenue as of July 21, 2024, with $170.9 million coming from the United States and Canada and $226.1 million from other countries. With a third-best opening weekend of $58.4 million, it made $25.5 million its second weekend and $13.4 million its third. With $72.7 million at launch internationally, China ($11.4 million) and France ($7.1 million) led the way.