Chimps Attend 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Screening
— -- Art and life collided this weekend in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when two real-life chimps sat alongside their human counterparts in a local movie theater to watch a movie all about apes.
Vali and Sugrive, both two-years-old, caught a screening of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” the 3-D sequel to the 2011 blockbuster "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," in which genetically evolved apes try to co-exist with the humans who survived the Simian Flu.
Vali and Sugrive, who live at the Myrtle Beach Safari, bought their own tickets for the show and paid for their own snacks, popcorn and juice.
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During the film, the two chimps were seen responding just like the humans surrounding them, with Sugriva turning away during a dramatic scene and Vali clenching his companion’s hand.
The two chimps also cheered for the good guys in the movie, perhaps easing fellow moviegoers’ alleged concerns about the message the film may send to the chimps.
“A couple of people said very clearly, ‘Are you sure they should watch this movie, won't they learn to take over the world?,’” said Myrtle Beach Safari Owner Bhagavan Antle, according to the U.K.’s The Daily Mail. “There were several people actually concerned about that.”
