(Photo by 20th Century Studios / courtesy Everett Collection)

Planet of the Apes In Order: How to Watch the Movies Chronologically

When it comes to Apes, the Planet doesn’t turn, it twists. That’s because the reveal at the end of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes is one of those iconic shots from movie history, known and parodied the world over, guaranteeing you’d never look at a 150-foot woman the same way ever again. With the Planet producers predicting nothing topping that twist, for the sequels they went for more lore. Maybe a time paradox or two.

“What if the first movie was just scratching the surface?” asked Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

The next sequel, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, transported the series to contemporary time: 1973. So if you wanted to watch the original series in story-chronological order, you’ll want to start with Escape, and then follow it with the final two sequels, 1972’s Conquest and 1973’s Battle. This trilogy is all set before the original duology’s timeline.

So, the original 5-part Planet of the Apes series:

86% Planet of the Apes (1968)

34% Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

75% Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)

52% Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

33% Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

In 2001, a reboot was launched. It did its own thing (actually, it adapted more of the Pierre Boulle novel than the original movie), it didn’t carry on after that, but it did mark the end of the original Tim Burton weird era.

43% Planet of the Apes (2001)

A new series and continuity began in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which takes a ground-level look at the eventual ape uprising. The film’s serious tone and exemplary special effects were polished further for 2014’s Dawn and 2017’s War. All together, not only was the reboot run a success, but represents a rare trilogy where critical reception kept improving upon the last.

With War making significantly less money than Dawn, and the story relatively concluded, 20th Century Studios let the series go underground again. But it’s back after seven years with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, set many generations after War where humans have regressed to a primitive state, clubbing predators with fax machines and subsisting off natural springs of Crystal Pepsi.

82% Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

91% Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

94% War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

80% Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

See below to check out ever Planet of the Apes movie in order by release!