ticket sales for Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes in India have reached 12,000 across the top cinema chains for the film's opening day, suggesting a modest start at the box office. Despite being part of a well-known franchise, directed by Wes Ball and starring Owen Teague and Freya Allan, the advance booking numbers are lower than anticipated.
This less-than-expected response is causing some concern, especially since Hollywood franchise films usually rely heavily on initial box office performance. Based on the current advance booking figures, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is projected to have a day-one box office of about ₹2.5 crores. If public opinion is favourable, the film could potentially achieve a double-digit weekend in terms of box office revenue. However, given the context of other film releases, notably Rajkummar Rao's new movie Srikanth, which appeals to a different audience, it's unlikely to affect each other's box office success.
Advance bookings for Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes are also subdued in the domestic market, indicating that the opening weekend may not match the success of the previous three Planet Of The Apes films. With a production budget exceeding $160 million, the film will need to gross over $400 million to break even at the box office. However, the series has a safety net as the Planet Of The Apes franchise generally generates significant revenue from non-theatrical sources such as home media, satellite rights, digital streaming, and merchandise.
The storyline of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes picks up several years after Caesar's death, with the apes having divided into various clans. Noa (Owen Teague) is from the Eagle Clan, while Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) leads a rogue group that misinterprets Caesar's teachings. Unlike Caesar, who wasn't against humans, Proximus Caesar preaches distrust of humans, which Noa overhears. After Proximus Caesar attacks and burns down Noa's village, abducting several members of the Eagle Clan, Noa sets off to find them.
During his journey, Noa meets Raka, who clarifies the original teachings of Caesar, mentioning that Caesar was raised by a human. Although Noa remains skeptical, an encounter with a human named Mae (Freya Allan) leads him to reconsider his views on humans. The story follows Noa as he seeks to rebuild the Eagle Clan and confronts the truths and agendas of humans and other apes.