2011 smashed one long-held cinematic rule, that on almost every occasion prequels suck. There were two very high-profile, very low expectation prequels that summer, and both ended up being franchise salvaging hits.

Sequels to those prequels have already been green lit and given release dates by Fox. The creative team behind X-Men: First Class were able to jump right into pre-production with almost all of the behind the scenes crew intact. The ride has been a little more bumpy for the next  Apes film, with Rise director Rupert Wyatt jumping ship.

The rumors have been circulating for a while that Wyatt was on the way out, but it was only very recently made official. However, according to deadline, just as quickly as one director leaves another jumps in his place. That director happens to be Cloverfield helmer, Matt Reeves.

Reeves is a fine choice to step into the Apes universe, as he is one of the few directors who has shown an ability to make a story his own while maintaining the previously established story. If Reeves manages to tap into the tone of Rise of the Planet of the Apes while bringing something new to the table we stand a great chance at getting another great flick.

Last year Fox defied all expectations by releasing not one, but two successful prequels to franchises they seemingly had run into the ground. Not only were these properties reeling from recent mishandling, Fox itself has a poor recent history with quality genre, and blockbuster films.

So when X-Men: First Class and Rise of the Planet of the Apes both turned out to be so good, people were shocked. Sequels to these prequels were a forgone conclusion and now thanks to the diligent folks at Box Office Mojo we have dates for both.

The Apes sequel is working under the title Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and is going to be coming first, May 23rd, 2014. Not much is known about the movie just yet, but it is safe to assume based on the working title the movie will have something to do with Ceaser building an Ape community that will eventually kill nearly all the humans on earth.

The X-Men sequel will stake a claim in one of the last prime weekends of the Summer season, July 18th, 2014. The movie is thought to be about Magneto’s further fall into villainy, which is a great angle to play when you have such a great actor in the roll. The primary cast is expected to return, but with production not beginning until next year it might be some time before that is confirmed.

2011 might go down as the year Hollywood finally figured out how to make a great prequel. Between the “X-cellent” X-Men: First Class and Rise of the Planet of the Apes we have seen two high profile franchises recieve a much needed quality boost back into the lime light.

The most impressive part of this movie is the performance of Andy Serkis as Caesar the ape. Millions of words have been written on the subject of his brilliant digital performance, and every single one of them speaks the truth. We are seeing the line between animation and performance blends so much that it is almost impossible to tell the difference.

This Blu-Ray presents the film, and a whole bunch of features that help you understand what exactly went into the astonishing effects work on the film. Of all the films that have come out in the last few years, this is one of the most worthy of a great set of features.

I wont spend a long time teasing you with different tidbits about why living in Los Angeles is the coolest thing ever, especially for a film fan, but suffice to say it is really amazing. This weekend provided yet more proof of that fact as street artist Anthony Lister painted a seriously cool Rise of the Planet of the Apes street mural on one of the cooler streets in town.

The art was inspired by the new release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Blu-Ray. Australian born artist Anthony Lister spent the better part of four nights last weekend conceiving, painting and generally monkeying around to celebrate on of his favorite films of the year.

“I’m an adventure painter. When I’m painting I just bring out the shapes that are already calling me. I’m a problem solver and when I am dealing with paintings conceptually and aesthetically I’m balancing these problems… The reason I’m going to be adding Rise of the Planet of the Apes to my collection is ’cause it is kinda like one of my favorite movies of the year. I mean I’m looking forward to seeing all those bits and how they did that”

The pictures showcase the look of the mural for sure, but having a chance to drive by it and see the art up close really emphasizes the artistry that goes into street art like this. It is great to see actual art being created for the release of this new Blu-Ray as opposed to the standard Photoshop heavy billboards that would have been much easier to create.

Check out some videos and a gallery on the creation of this awesome art after the jump.

Every year, the time between May and August is always considered a heavy season for big blockbuster-style films. But this year has been like that on steroids. Normally, there are a handful of big films that carry fanboys and fangirls throughout the summer season, but this year we had one just about every week consistently from the beginning of May.

That fact alone has got to be why when two large, previously established franchises hit theaters, neither open in the box office’s top 3. That’s what happened this weekend, as the independent comedy The Help came in at the number 1 spot with just over $20 million.

Just after that, Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes managed to stay strong at #2 with $16 million. Of the 3 big releases this weekend, we didn’t expect Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids: All the Time in the World to open as big as the #3 spot with an estimated $12 million, but it did.

Lionsgate’s hope at revitalizing the Conan the Barbarian franchise to a younger, edgier audience seemed to have failed, sadly, as the film had a soft opening of $10 million at the #4 spot. Even sadder is the fact that Buena Vista’s Fright Night barely missed the top 5 as it opened at #6 with just under $8 million.