Planet of the Apes In 1999, Fox hired William Broyles, Jr. to write a new script. Fox insisted on a July 2001 release date, but otherwise offered Broyles considerable creative license. This prospect attracted director Tim Burton, who hoped to do a "re-imagining" of "Planet of the Apes". Burton found the production arduous, largely due to Fox's strict release schedule. The studio budgeted the film at $100 million, meaning Broyles' ambitious script had to be altered to reduce costs; Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal worked on rewrites even as the film entered production. The tight schedule meant all stages of production were rushed. The
Planet of the Apes (2001 film) was July 4, 2001. "Planet of the Apes" was released on July 27, 2001 in 3,500 theaters across North America, earning $68,532,960 in its opening weekend. This was the second-highest opening weekend of 2001, behind "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". The film went on to gross $180,011,740 in North America and $182,200,000 elsewhere, for a worldwide total of $362,211,740. "Planet of the Apes" was the tenth-highest-grossing film in North America, and ninth-highest worldwide, of 2001. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes "Planet of the Apes" has an approval rating of 45% based on 156 reviews, with an average rating