After 44 Years, Forgotten Sci-Fi Flop’s Remake Turned into a Hit and Grossed $490M
Sometimes ‘original’ is not the definition of ‘good’.
There’s an opinion that a remake or a reboot is always a bad idea. Well, there are many examples in the movie and TV industry that will actually serve as proof. It happens all the time when the sequel fails all the expectations the fans of the og movie had or the remake loses all the charm of the first installment.
It is especially hard for directors and writers to recreate the success of science fiction movies because there are just so many things to consider before even touching the original. However, sometimes it works the other way around and the next movie in the franchise ends up being the most successful.
This is exactly what happened with one of the biggest sci-fi flops ever created. We are talking about the 1973 movie called Battle for the Planet of the Apes. The movie has a 36% Rotten Tomatoes score and has only grossed $8.8 million.
There are many remakes of the movie, and all of them have shared DNA, but only one of them, the 2017 War for the Planet of the Apes directed by Matt Reeves, is the exact copy of the original. But a much better one.
The two films tell the story of Caesar as he negotiates the conflict between apes and humans while ensuring the survival of his own community. And while the premise of the two movies is the same, the way the 94%-rated remake delivers it is so much better in everything: the storyline, the emotional depth, the social commentary, and, of course, the visuals.
“I think it's the best one out of all of them. At first, I was thrown off by the 'war' aspect not living up to the title, but it manifested in the story in other directions that worked in its favor. I wasn't ready for how bleak and powerful it was, but it was an incredibly mature movie that was quite emotional throughout. Best movie in the series since the original movie,”Redditor bobpetersen55 said.
The movie grossed a total of $490.7 million worldwide on a budget of just around $150 million.
War for the Planet of the Apes is available to stream on Prime.