Claim: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a 2014 American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves and written by Mark Bomback , Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver . It stars Andy Serkis , Jason Clarke , Gary Oldman , Keri Russell , Toby Kebbell , and Kodi Smit-McPhee . It is the sequel to the 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes , which began 20th Century Fox 's reboot of the original Planet of the Apes series . Dawn is set ten years after the events of Rise , and follows a group of people in San Francisco who struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of a plague that is wiping out humanity , while Caesar tries to maintain dominance over his community of intelligent apes .   Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was released in the United States and Canada on July 11 , 2014 and was met with critical acclaim , with critics praising its visual effects , story , direction , acting , musical score , action , and emotional depth . It was also a box office success , having grossed over $ 710 million worldwide , and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects . A third installment , titled War for the Planet of the Apes , is set to be released on July 14 , 2017 .