One of 2024’s biggest movies is being released even earlier

Moviegoers will get to experience one of the most anticipated films of 2024 two weeks earlier than originally advertised.

2024 is shaping up to be another big year for cinema. Several massive titles are set to drop over the next 12 months, with blockbusters such as Dune: Part Two and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga leading the charge.

Horror fans are also well-catered for, thanks to the likes of Blumhouse’s Imaginary and Cineverse’s Terrifier 3. There’s a bunch of more kid-friendly fare on the way too, including Kung Fu Panda 4.

The only downside for cinephiles is having to wait – but that’s now less of a problem with at least one major 2024 production.

One of 2024’s biggest movies is being released even earlier

That’s right: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is dropping early. Per Variety, Disney is bumping up the sequel’s debut from May 24 to May 10.

Bringing Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ release date forward two weeks should boost the sci-fi epic’s box office prospects. Its original May 24 scheduling would’ve pitted it against Furiosa and The Garfield Movie, both of which could’ve eaten into the ape-led extravaganza’s earnings.

By contrast, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ only real competition on May 10 is Focus Features’ Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black. This is a safer bet for Disney, given the seemingly smaller amount of overlap between these two films’ target audiences.

It’s hardly surprising that Disney isn’t taking any risks with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, given the franchise’s multi-year absence from theaters. The last entry in the rebooted franchise, War for the Planet of the Apes, came out seven years ago – an eternity in the movie business.

What is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes about?

Set almost 300 years after its predecessor, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes chronicles the exploits of chimpanzee, Noa (Owen Teague), and feral human Mae (Freya Allan). The unlikely pair’s adventures will bring them up against Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), the ape society’s corrupt leader.

Director Wes Ball is calling the shots this time around, and he’s already received former series lead Andy Serkis’ blessing. “Wes Ball is going to do an amazing job with this film… where they’ve chosen to land the story and take off with the next iteration, I think it’s gonna blow people’s minds,” he said.