"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," the latest installment in the "Planet of the Apes" franchise, will hit Chinese theaters this weekend, ushering in the next chapter for the post-apocalyptic sci-fi saga after Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019.

A poster of "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." [Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox]

The film, which began development in April 2019 following The Walt Disney Company purchasing 20th Century Fox, is a standalone sequel to "War for the Planet of the Apes" (2017), making it the fourth installment in the "Planet of the Apes" reboot franchise and the tenth film overall.

Originating from French author Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel, the franchise gained immense popularity with its 1968 film adaptation, "Planet of the Apes," leading to a series of sequels, tie-ins and derivative works. A reboot film project began in 2011 with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" followed by "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" in 2014 and "War for the Planet of the Apes" in 2017. These three films focus on Caesar, an evolved chimpanzee leader.

Set 300 years after the events of "War for the Planet of the Apes," this new installment continues to showcase emergent ape civilizations and regressed, surviving humans. The new ape king, Proximus Caesar, misuses lost human technologies to enslave other clans. Noa, a chimpanzee hunter, along with a human woman named Mae embark on a journey to determine the future for both species. 

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is directed by Wes Ball and stars Owen Teague in the leading role alongside Freya Allan, Kevin Durand and Peter Macon. 

This newest installment in the blockbuster franchise will likely be the first of a new trilogy of "Planet of the Apes" films, according to comment made by the director Wes Ball last year, and will fit into the legacy of the previous three reboot films.

The previous three reboots were big successes globally and grossed more than $1.68 billion worldwide, including a contribution of 1.63 billion yuan ($225 million) from the Chinese audience. 

On May 7, 20th Century Fox hosted four advanced screenings of the new film in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu, impressing local audiences with epic post-apocalyptic spectacles and a profound allegory about human nature, power and the struggle for survival. 

One of the highlights was the convincing portrayal of apes, made possible by Wētā FX's motion capture technology. Renowned for their work on the previous three "Planet of the Apes" reboot films, the team utilized techniques developed for James Cameron's "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022). This was essential for ensuring that the CG-modeled apes, based on motion-capture performances, and other CG elements appeared realistic. This upgrade in motion and facial capture technology resulted in meticulously crafted effects, including unprecedented details in the appearance of soaked ape fur. Apart from CGI and motion-capture, the precise use of mechanical devices, physics, and physiology by the production team also contributed to the creation of exhilarating action scenes.

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" will open in China in various formats such as IMAX on May 10, the same date as in the United States and many other territories. It will be the first Hollywood summer blockbuster imported into China this year.

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