The War for the Planet of the Apes is nearly upon us, and the outcome of this conflict will determine the fate of Earth itself. But the July blockbuster is the third chapter of a story that's been running since 2011, and there's still time to re-watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes beforehand. While it's easy enough to enjoy the previous two movies at home ahead of seeing War, 20th Century Fox is offering fans the opportunity to marathon the reboot trilogy next week in theaters.
Next Wednesday, July 12, more than 700 theaters in the United States will screen Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes as a triple feature. For one price, you'll be able to watch Rise in 2D, Dawn in 3D and War early in RealD 3D. If seeing War ahead of the masses isn't enough incentive for you to check out this marathon, there is also an exclusive War mini-poster being handed out at the screening that was illustrated by Shepard Fairey in collaboration with Studio Number One, which you can see below.
Since most (if not all) of the theaters hosting this marathon will start the screening between 4:00 and 4:30, fans of the Planet of the Apes reboot series will be able to enjoy these cinematic tales until roughly midnight. But whether you watch Rise and Dawn before War at the theater or in the comfort of your own home, it would nonetheless be wise to catch up on what happened to Caesar years earlier, from his early life with Dr. Will Rodman to trying to make peace with the surviving humans.
Set several years after Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes will reunite audiences with Andy Serkis' Caesar as he leads his ape forces against the remnants of the human military, which are being led byWoody Harrelson's Colonel McCullough. As the apes suffer heavy losses, Caesar will wrestle with his darker instincts and set forth on a quest to avenge his kind, and his personal conflict with The Colonel will lead towards this war being resolved and the dominant species on the planet being decided once and for all. War has earned excellent reception in early reviews, and while marks the end of a trilogy, there are already talks of making more Apes movies to continue the saga.
Click here to find the theater closest to you that will be hosting the Planet of the Apes reboot marathon and purchase your tickets. For those of you who only want to catch War for the Planet of the Apes in theaters, that movie opens widely on July 14.
