Just when industry pundits are predicting doom and gloom for original live-action movie licensing, Fox’s Planet of the Apes remake comes along with 70 worldwide licensees and no room for more. The flick attracted so many licensees with a strategy that targets three demos-the younger audience, the adult collectors and a group Fox Licensing & Merchandising’s senior VP of marketing Lisa Licht refers to as ‘latent fans.’

‘These are people who, like myself, loved the original Planet of the Apes, but haven’t collected product over all these years,’ she says. As the film will carry a PG-13 rating when it hits theaters on July 17, kids will be a major licensing focus. Fox L&M is keying into the apes, their interaction,and the fact that they speak and are intelligent in its merchandising plans for the film. ‘Apes are one of the number-one animals children are intrigued by,’ says Licht. ‘So the concept of apes ruling the planet is the way we’re positioning the movie for a younger audience.’

Several licensees, including Hasbro, Applause and Changes will be creating product across each of the demos and will debut their offerings this month at Toy Fair. Hasbro will launch a line of action figures and collectible toys that Licht says will appeal to all demos, while Applause will compliment Hasbro’s lineup with specialty items ranging from resin figurines to dioramas.