Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes dominates box office

Poster of  Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. [Photo provided to China Daily]

During its debut weekend, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the latest installment in the renowned Hollywood franchise, emerged as the top-grossing film in the Chinese mainland, as confirmed by multiple sources.

The movie premiered in various formats, including IMAX, on May 10, amassing a total of 90.74 million yuan ($12.54 million) in box office revenue by Tuesday, as reported by Beacon and Maoyan, prominent movie data platforms.

Set centuries after the demise of Caesar, the revered simian leader from the rebooted trilogy spanning 2011 to 2017, the narrative of the new film revolves around a young chimpanzee named Noa and a young woman named Mae, embarking on a joint adventure intricately woven with the fates of apes and humans.

In a promotional video unveiled by IMAX, director Wes Ball conveyed his excitement about presenting the latest epic saga of the articulate apes to the Chinese audience, underscoring his admiration for the enduring franchise.

Notably, all the actors and actresses portraying the apes underwent a rigorous "ape school" training program for six weeks to adeptly master the stunts and movements characteristic of these intelligent creatures.