One of the Most Daring Sci-Fi Reboots of the Last Decade Lands New Streaming Home

1 week ago 14

Freya Allan in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Published Jan 25, 2026, 9:00 AM EST

Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him).

At a time when most mainstream films seem to be playing it safe — the more expensive they are, the less ambitious they appear to be — a recent film pushed the boundaries not only technically, but also thematically. Released in 2024, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes underperformed at the box office, although it earned praise for its visual effects and performances. The movie was devised as the first installment of a new trilogy, and despite its lukewarm commercial performance, it'll receive a sequel that's said to be in the works for a 2027 release. 20th Century Studios would hope that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes earns new fans by then, which it has a chance to when it lands on a new streamer in February. The movie was directed by Wes Ball, who'd proven his mettle with the hit Maze Runner trilogy.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes served as a soft reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise, following the very successful trilogy kicked off by Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes and brought home by Matt Reeves' with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes. However, unlike its immediate predecessors, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes fell short of the critical $400 million mark at the global box office, against a budget that has been reported to be as high as $160 million. The movie did, however, earn positive reviews. It's now sitting at a "certified fresh" 80% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "Carving out a new era for The Planet of the Apes with lovable characters and rich visuals, Kingdom doesn't take the crown as best of the franchise but handily justifies its continued reign."

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' Deals With Hot-Button Issues

The film was set many decades after the events of the previous trilogy, which followed the Moses-like story of Caesar — the intelligent ape who defended his kind against human oppressors, and eventually sparked a rebellion. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was set in a future where Caesar's teachings are misappropriated by a despotic ape named Proximus Caesar, played by Kevin Durand. The film followed a new protagonist, played by Owen Teague, who harvests his ability to communicate with the environment and challenges Proximus to re-establish the true teachings of Caesar. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was an epic that examined themes of autocracy, religious extremism, and generational trauma — all very topical, considering what's happening in the world.

You can check the movie out on Hulu beginning February 2, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.