There’s no denying that 1993’s Jurᴀssic Park is one of the greatest movies ever made, and while it started a blockbuster franchise, the sequels have never come close to living up to the original. That’s a problem for a lot of film series, but there’s one that started back in the ’60s that succeeds where Jurᴀssic Park failed.

This isn’t a movie franchise where every entry is considered great, but it’s one that has aged very well and, more importantly, has managed to reinvent itself over the decades. This series of sci-fi films is not only still relevant today, but most of the entries have been well-received, which is where the Jurᴀssic World sequels have struggled.

Unlike Jurᴀssic Park, Planet Of The Apes’ Reboot Movies Were Consistently Great

The sci-fi franchise that has succeeded where Jurᴀssic Park missed the mark is Planet of the Apes. The 1968 original is a timeless classic along the same lines as Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Jurᴀssic Park. Also like that franchise, the next few Planet of the Apes entries were met with mixed reception.

There was also the attempted reboot in 2001 from Tim Burton that, while being a financial success, received more mixed reviews, and the planned sequels were canceled. The 2010s saw new life breathed into both franchises, though, and that’s where things started to go differently for them.

2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes began a reboot trilogy for the franchise, which was very well-received. The next two installments were even better, with the series earning several Oscar nominations and being considered one of the best trilogies in cinematic history.

Meanwhile, Jurᴀssic World reignited the Jurᴀssic Park franchise in 2015. Many felt it was the best entry in that series since the original and it was a huge box office hit. However, critical reception dropped dramatically with the next two movies, putting a damper on the franchise in its entirety.

While the Planet of the Apes reboot films boosted the overall quality of the series to make it one of the most critically acclaimed franchises ever, the Jurᴀssic World reboot hurt the series. The latter certainly made a ton of money but isn’t viewed in the same high esteem as Planet of the Apes.

Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Was A Better Second Reboot Than Jurᴀssic World Rebirth

The similarities between the Jurᴀssic Park and Planet of the Apes franchises continued into the 2020s. After their respective reboot trilogies, both series returned in the middle of the decade with sequels. Each sequel followed up on the reboot movies after some time, telling stories with mostly new characters.

The trend from the 2010s followed suit here as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was a critical success. While it wasn’t the box office hit of the previous entries, nor was it quite as highly acclaimed, it was viewed as a worthy follow-up, landed another Oscar nomination, and continued to show how impressive the franchise is.

On the same note, Jurᴀssic World Rebirth grossed nearly $1 billion, showing that the series still has legs. However, this was once again an entry that received lackluster reviews. The differences between the films were evident.

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth was criticized for being filled with clichés, playing to the hits, and featuring uninteresting human characters alongside the dinosaur carnage. Meanwhile, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes tried new things, took risks, and included an interesting twist surrounding its human characters.

Those are the traits and qualities that Jurᴀssic Park needs to showcase if it wants to be on the same level. Considering how great the first entry is, Jurᴀssic Park should be one of the greatest movie franchises of all time, not just one of the most profitable.

Planet Of The Apes’ Movie Future Looks A Lot Brighter Than Jurᴀssic Park’s

The future of these respective franchises is an interesting one. As businesses, it makes sense that film studios prioritize making sequels to the most financially successful movies. That would mean Jurᴀssic World Rebirth‘s $800M+ gross is more likely to get a follow-up than Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ $390M+ intake.

In fact, Jurᴀssic Park has grossed significantly more as a franchise than Planet of the Apes throughout history. Despite that, it’s the latter that has a brighter-looking future with some major plans in line to continue the series.

As of now, even after making so much money, there’s no confirmed sequel for Jurᴀssic World Rebirth. However, a Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel is in development and is slated for a 2027 arrival. That bodes well for its future compared to Jurᴀssic Park. That one sequel isn’t all that’s supposed to be on the horizon either.

The modern Planet of the Apes films are meant to be a whopping 9-film saga. That means there are still five installments left to come. Whether the franchise is ever able to fully reach that number or not is up in the air, but the fact that it’s in the cards means we should be in line for more greatness.