Is James Franco Bad for the Apes?

Will James Franco's off-color Oscar performance and subsequent problems hurt his new movie "Rise of the Planet of the Apes?"

That's what Franco seems to think. Apparently, he is concerned the movie will suffer at the box office, simply because he is in it.

"Critics will be out to kill this movie and blame me for it just because they are out to kill me," Franco said in an interview with last month's Playboy. "Last year people were pretty nice. This is the year when people are going to have fun going after me."

It seems, however, that Franco can relax. The film has received some pretty positive reviews so far from critics who regard it as good old-fashioned popcorn fun. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 92 percent rating and several other film websites have also had nice things to say.

As for the director, Rupert Wyatt, well, he doesn't seem too concerned.

"Those that will go see this film for James Franco will still see the film for James Franco. I totally understand where he's coming from. Obviously he took a bit of a knock with the Oscars, but at the end of the day, he's an actor and that's his job," Wyatt told MTV News at the San Diego Comic-Con.

"The Rise of the Planet of the Apes" will hit theaters on August 5.