Watch the original Planet of the Apes movies in release order: Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). Escape sends apes back in time, so the last three films loop round toward the first. The 1974 TV series is optional.
- Titles
- 6
- Films
- 5
- Series
- 1
- Watch time
- 20 hours
- Box office
- $82 million
- Avg IMDb
- 6.5
Original Planet of the Apes movies in release order
Here is every Original Planet of the Apes title in the order it came out, 1968 to 1974: 5 films and 1 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Planet of the Apes | 1968 | Film | 1h 52m | 8 |
| 2 | Beneath the Planet of the Apes | 1970 | Film | 1h 35m | 6 |
| 3 | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | 1971 | Film | 1h 38m | 6.3 |
| 4 | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | 1972 | Film | 1h 28m | 6.1 |
| 5 | Battle for the Planet of the Apes | 1973 | Film | 1h 33m | 5.4 |
| 6 | Planet of the Apes optional | 1974 | Series | 12h 8m | 7 |
Original Planet of the Apes timeline: movies in chronological order
The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.
| # | Title | Set in | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | 1973 | 1971 |
| 2 | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | 1991 | 1972 |
| 3 | Battle for the Planet of the Apes | Years after Conquest | 1973 |
| 4 | Planet of the Apes | The far future | 1974 |
| 5 | Planet of the Apes | The far future | 1968 |
| 6 | Beneath the Planet of the Apes | The far future | 1970 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
Release order and story order disagree on 6 titles here. In release order you start with Planet of the Apes (1968); in story order you start with Escape from the Planet of the Apes, set in 1973, which came out 3 years later.
First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Original Planet of the Apes into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.
Where to start
Start with Planet of the Apes and go in release order, skipping the 1 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 5 titles and about 8 hours, 60% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: Planet of the Apes (8), Planet of the Apes (7), and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (6.3).
Every Original Planet of the Apes movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1968 · Film · 1h 52m · 5th in story order
Planet of the Apes
Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.
Why it matters: The 1968 original and its famous ending.
- Starring
- Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, and Kim Hunter
- Director
- Franklin J. Schaffner
- Box office
- $33 million on a $6 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8 · Rotten Tomatoes 42%
No. 02 · 1970 · Film · 1h 35m · 6th in story order
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
The sole survivor of an interplanetary rescue mission lands on the planet of the apes, and uncovers a horrible secret beneath the surface.
Why it matters: The direct sequel to the original.
- Starring
- James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, and Maurice Evans
- Director
- Ted Post
- Box office
- $19 million on a $3 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6 · Rotten Tomatoes 37%
No. 03 · 1971 · Film · 1h 38m · 1st in story order
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a spacecraft. Intrigued by their intelligence, humans use them for research - until the apes attempt to escape.
Why it matters: Two apes travel back to 1970s Earth.
- Starring
- Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, and Bradford Dillman
- Director
- Don Taylor
- Box office
- $12 million on a $3 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 75%
No. 04 · 1972 · Film · 1h 28m · 2nd in story order
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almost twenty years of hiding from the authorities, and prepares for a revolt against humanity.
Why it matters: The apes' uprising in the original timeline.
- Starring
- Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, and Ricardo Montalban
- Director
- J. Lee Thompson
- Box office
- $10 million on a $2 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 52%
No. 05 · 1973 · Film · 1h 33m · 3rd in story order
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
The fifth and final episode in the Planet of the Apes series. After the collapse of human civilization, a community of intelligent apes led by Caesar lives in harmony with a group of humans. Gorilla General Aldo tries to cause an ape civil war and a community of human mutants who live beneath a destroyed city try to conquer those whom they perceive as enemies. All leading to the finale.
Why it matters: Ends the original film series.
- Starring
- Roddy McDowall, Natalie Trundy, and Austin Stoker
- Director
- J. Lee Thompson
- Box office
- $9 million on a $2 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 33%
No. 06 · 1974 · Series · 12h 8m · 4th in story order · optional
Planet of the Apes
Two astronauts and a sympathetic chimp friend are fugitives in a future Earth dominated by a civilization of humanoid apes. Based on the 1968 Planet of the Apes film and its sequels, which were inspired by the novel of the same name by Pierre Boulle.
Why it matters: A short-lived TV series; optional.
- Starring
- Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper, and James Naughton
- Creator
- Anthony Wilson
- Scores
- IMDb 7 · Rotten Tomatoes 55%
- Episodes
- 14
Original Planet of the Apes box office and budgets
The 5 Original Planet of the Apes films with reported numbers have grossed $82 million worldwide on about $15 million in combined budgets, roughly 5.6 times what they cost. The biggest is Planet of the Apes at $33 million, 40% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Beneath the Planet of the Apes ($19 million) and Escape from the Planet of the Apes ($12 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Beneath the Planet of the Apes, which made 6.3 times its $3 million budget. The weakest was Escape from the Planet of the Apes at 4.9 times its $3 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Original Planet of the Apes movies
Across 6 rated titles, Original Planet of the Apes averages 6.5 on IMDb. The top of the list is Planet of the Apes at 8, then Planet of the Apes (7) and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (6.3). At the bottom: Battle for the Planet of the Apes (5.4) and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (6).
- Planet of the Apes8 · RT 42%
- Planet of the Apes7 · RT 55%
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes6.3 · RT 75%
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes6.1 · RT 52%
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes6 · RT 37%
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes5.4 · RT 33%
Who appears in the most Original Planet of the Apes movies
Roddy McDowall leads with 5 appearances as Cornelius and Caesar, ahead of Natalie Trundy (4) and Kim Hunter (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roddy McDowall | Cornelius / Caesar | 5 | Planet of the Apes (1968) to Planet of the Apes (1974) |
| Natalie Trundy | Albina / Dr. Stephanie 'Stevie' Branton | 4 | Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) to Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) |
| Kim Hunter | Zira / Dr. Zira | 3 | Planet of the Apes (1968) to Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) |
| Charlton Heston | George Taylor / Taylor | 2 | Planet of the Apes (1968) to Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) |
| Maurice Evans | Dr. Zaius | 2 | Planet of the Apes (1968) to Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) |
| Linda Harrison | Nova | 2 | Planet of the Apes (1968) to Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) |
| Lou Wagner | Lucius / Busboy | 2 | Planet of the Apes (1968) to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) |
| John Randolph | Committee Chairman / Commission Chairman | 2 | Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) |
| Severn Darden | Kolp | 2 | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) to Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) |
Original Planet of the Apes directors and creators
5 filmmakers have directed or created Original Planet of the Apes; J. Lee Thompson has the most, with 2.
- J. Lee ThompsonConquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
- Franklin J. SchaffnerPlanet of the Apes (1968)
- Ted PostBeneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Don TaylorEscape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
- Anthony WilsonPlanet of the Apes (1974)
How long it takes to watch every Original Planet of the Apes movie
All 6 titles add up to 20 hours: 8 hours of film and 12 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 11 two-hour evenings, or 3 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 8 hours. The longest film is Planet of the Apes at 1h 52m.
The 4 best rated films: Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
Everything takes about 3 weeks; the essentials about 9 days.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Original Planet of the Apes movies can you skip?
1 title can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 12 hours.
- Planet of the Apes1974 · Series · 12h 8m · optionalA short-lived TV series; optional.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Original Planet of the Apes movies in?
Watch the original Planet of the Apes movies in release order: Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). Escape sends apes back in time, so the last three films loop round toward the first. The 1974 TV series is optional.
How many Original Planet of the Apes movies and shows are there?
There are 6 titles in the Original Planet of the Apes franchise: 5 films and 1 series, released from 1968 to 1974.
How long does it take to watch all the Original Planet of the Apes movies?
About 20 hours for all 6 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (5 titles) take about 8 hours.
What is the first Original Planet of the Apes title in chronological order?
Escape from the Planet of the Apes, set in 1973. In release order the first is Planet of the Apes (1968).
Which Original Planet of the Apes titles can I skip?
Planet of the Apes. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Original Planet of the Apes movie?
By IMDb score, Planet of the Apes (1968) at 8, followed by Planet of the Apes at 7.
What is the highest-grossing Original Planet of the Apes movie?
Planet of the Apes (1968), with $33 million worldwide. Original Planet of the Apes films have made $82 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Original Planet of the Apes movies?
Roddy McDowall, in 5 of them as Cornelius.
What is the longest Original Planet of the Apes movie?
Planet of the Apes, at 1h 52m.
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