Franchise Fatigue? Not 'Planet of the Apes'. Here's Why

For 60 years, chimp change budgets, no attachment to stars — and a commitment to scorching the earth again and again

NOT BORED APES Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), in the new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, extends the franchise’s impressive 56-year run. (20th Century Studios)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes topped the box office over the weekend: $58.5 million is a solid domestic opening in unspectacular times. The industry remains shocked that audiences didn’t care about a Barbieless Ken remaking a forgotten TV show. Now the people have spoken — and they want chimps with eagles battling a bonobo.

Planet of the Apes has been a fruitful movie concept since 1968. What explains its endurance? I’ve been rewatching the nine previous films, and every obvious lesson is counterintuitive.

To build a six-decade franchise, it turns out, you should constantly murder your heroes and destroy civilization every couple sequels. Humans — us, our entire whole species, the ones who buy the tickets — make the best ultimate villains. You can invest in new film technology, but keep budgets low. And never write a happy ending.