We cannot deny that success and failure often go hand in hand. Such was the case of Tim Burton’s 2001 film Planet of the Apes, starring Mark Wahlberg and Tim Roth, which was met with mixed criticism and an unsatisfactory financial outcome.
Based loosely on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel of the same name, this film was a remake of the 1968 film version. The critics took issue with its confusing storyline and ending. However, take note of the fact that its musical score, visual elements, and prosthetic makeup designs won praise.
As it happens, not just critics thought Burton’s Planet of the Apes was a letdown. In an interview with MTV Movies Blog, Wahlberg, the film’s lead actor, also admitted that the 20th Century Fox production did not go as planned. Even though their film failed miserably, he showed his support for the director. The actor disclosed that many of the problems with the film stemmed from the studio’s rush to finish it.
The Reasons Behind Mark Wahlberg’s Planet of the Apes Failure
Although it was a failure for the director, Tim Burton’s 2001 version of Planet of the Apes was interesting in its peculiar way. It also made a good amount of money at the box office, but the film did not have the same impact as one might have expected, despite its inherent appeal.
In a 2011 interview with MTV Movies Blog, Mark Wahlberg didn’t hesitate to admit that his $362.2 million film was not very good. When asked if he had seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes (a reboot of the Planet of the Apes film series), he replied as follows:
“I haven’t seen it yet, but I heard it was pretty damn good. Well, ours wasn’t. It is what it is. Ours wasn’t.”
The Uncharted actor, 52, continued, implying that the studio’s haste to get the picture completed was the root of many of the film’s issues:
“They didn’t have the script right. They had a release date before he had shot a foot of film. They were pushing him and pushing him in the wrong direction. You have got to let Tim do his thing.”
Despite a $100 million budget, Planet of the Apes made about $362 million in revenue, but the film’s reception was unimpressive.
Mark Wahlberg Had An ‘Amazing’ Time Working With Tim Burton
Mark Wahlberg freely admitted that Planet of the Apes was not good enough, but he insisted that working with Tim Burton on the 2001 film was the best experience of his career. Speaking to the MTV Movies Blog, he shared:
“I have no better time on any movie than I had working with Tim. had the most amazing time with Tim. I run to be on the set with him. We were doing reshoots, and he came out with me to Paris..”
Though Wahlberg has acted in many movies, none have deviated as much from his typical genre as Burton’s Planet of the Apes. It was an opportunity he could not pass up as he had always wanted to collaborate with the Beetlejuice director. He revealed to GQ:
“The only reason to make Planet of the Apes was to work with Tim Burton and Dick Zanuck who was never really a huge fan of the original and not really into sci-fi but I wanted an opportunity to work with Tim so I just jumped at it.”
20th Century Fox decided against making a sequel despite the film’s financial success and instead rebooted the series again in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Well, Wahlberg’s upcoming film projects include Julian Farino’s The Union, Simon Cellan Jones’s The Family Plan, and Arthur the King.
Stream Planet of the Apes on DIRECTV.
