‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Marketing Launches to 100 Million Viewers With First Trailer and Tease (EXCLUSIVE)

The marketing for Disney and 20th Studios’ “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” got off to a strong start with 75 million views in 24 hours across platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, X/Twitter and more, Variety has learned. Social engagement for the trailer came in with 72,000 mentions in 24 hours, boosted by 11,000 TikTok comments and a top 10 trend on X. The studio launched a trailer tease the day before the official clip’s drop, and that earned 25 million views in 24 hours. All in all, “Kingdom” content earned a combined 100 million views during the film’s marketing launch period.

While the full “Kingdom” trailer debuted to a sturdy 75 million views in 24 hours, that number of course does not compete with such recent Disney blockbusters as “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (172 million views), “Avatar: The Way of Water” (148 million) and “The Little Mermaid” (104 million views). Not that the studio was ever expecting “Apes” to rival numbers from Marvel or the sequel to the highest-grossing movie in history.

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“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the huge response to our first trailer,” Asad Ayaz, president of marketing at The Walt Disney Studios and Disney+, told Variety in a statement. “From the excitement and anticipation to the speculation surrounding new characters and settings, it’s clear fans can’t wait to see this epic new film from Wes Ball and 20th Century Studios.”

Directed by “The Maze Runner” helmer Wes Ball, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” relaunches the franchise seven years after the end of the Caesar trilogy (which spanned “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “War for the Planet of the Apes” between 2011 and 2017). All three films grossed over $450 million worldwide, with “Dawn” hitting a huge $710 million. Matt Reeves directed “Dawn” and “War” before helming “The Batman.”

“Kingdom” is set generations after “War,” with apes now the dominant species on Earth and humans in a regressed, feral state. A new ape leader begins enslaving other ape clans in the search of secret human technology, which leads a younger ape named Noa to set out on a journey to find freedom. The cast includes Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, Freya Allen, William H. Macy and Peter Macon.

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” set to open in theaters May 24, 2024, from Disney and 20th Century Studios.

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