FRANCHISE TALKS: All 'Planet Of The Apes' movies ranked by Global Box Office

As Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes gears up for a release, we rank all the films from the Planet Of The Apes franchise based on worldwide gross. Read on.

By Rishil Jogani

Updated on May 13, 2024 | 03:55 AM IST | 156.9K

All Planet Of The Apes movies ranked by global box office (Credit: 20th Century Studios)

The history of Planet Of The Apes movies spans over 55 years. The first film from the very successful franchise released way back in 1968 and now we are just a day away from Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes. Over the years, the franchise has had its share of highs and lows, but as things stand, it is among the most valuable IPs in the world. Here's analysing the box office performance of all Planet Of The Apes films and ranking them on the basis of worldwide gross.

Analysing All Planet Of The Apes Movies

The Inception

The first Planet Of The Apes movie released in 1968. The movie became an instant sensation among moviegoers in North America. It grossed over 32 million dollars against a budget of under 6 million dollars. The success of the first part, resulted in 4 sequels (Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes, Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes, Batte For The Planet Of The Apes), each that released a year apart. All of the films grossed lesser than their predicessor. Although profitable, the declining box office trajectory became a cause of concern. After Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, the production on further Planet Of The Apes films came to a complete halt.

The Ressurgence

After over 25 years of the, then, last Planet Of The Apes film, production of the new Planet Of The Apes film began. The reboot released in 2001 to packed houses, as it grossed over 350 million dollars worldwide, against a budget of 100 million dollars. It was the first Planet Of The Apes film that really went global, since the old films did most of their business in North America.

Despite the runaway success of the reboot, the next Planet Of The Apes film took over 10 years to release. Regardless, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes emerged as yet another thunderous box office hit of the franchise. It became the highest grossing film of the franchise, then, grossing a little under 500 million dollars in its full run.

Unlike Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes went into production immediately after the release of it's predecessor. It released within 3 years of the last Planet Of The Apes film and went on to become the highest grossing film of the franchise, grossing over 700 million dollars worldwide.

War For The Planet Of The Apes released in 2017 but could not entirely replicate the success of the previous release of the franchise. It sure was profitable, but the movie was seen as a step down from its predecessor. The movie grossed 490 million dollars and is currently the second highest grosser of the franchise.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

After 7 long years, a Planet Of The Apes movie is releasing in theatres. The delay has been attributed to Covid-19 and the writer's strike. While one hopes for Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes to replicate the success of other Planet Of The Apes films, the chances look bleak. The advance bookings so far are not upto the mark but in the end, it is all about how the audience accepts the movie.

Here Are All Planet Of The Apes Movies, Ranked By Global Box Office

Rank	Planet Of The Apes Movies	Worldwide Gross Collections
1	Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)	710 million dollars
2	War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)	490 million dollars
3	Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)	482 million dollars
4	Planet Of The Apes (2001)	362 million dollars
5	Planet Of The Apes (1968)	32.5 million dollars
6	Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)	19 million dollars
7	Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)	12.5 million dollars
8	Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)	9.5 million dollars
9	Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)	9 million dollars

Watch the trailer of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

The Success Recipe Of Planet Of The Apes Movies

Planet Of The Apes films have a history of securing very good non-theatrical revenues. They also make a good chunk of their money from merchandising and home-media. The key to a longlasting IP is to evolve and the makers of Planet Of The Apes have made sure to keep up with the changing times.