Planet of the Apes garnered success commercially.
Planet of the Apes . They did not approach the critical acclaim of the original , but were commercially successful . Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner . The film was released on February 8 , 1968 , in the United States and was a commercial success , earning a lifetime domestic gross of $ 32.6 million .