Dinosaurs are dominating the box office as we approach the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” led ticket sales on Thursday, marking its second full day of release, with an impressive $25.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $55.8 million. The Universal release is projected to generate $137.5 million during its first five days in theaters. This strong performance positions “Jurassic World Rebirth” as one of the summer’s major successes.
However, it’s important to note that the sequel’s earnings fall short compared to the debuts of more recent films in the franchise. “Jurassic World Rebirth” cannot compete with the 2015 release of “Jurassic World,” which rebooted the series and earned a staggering $208 million in its opening weekend. Other films in the series also surpassed “Rebirth’s” initial figures — 2018’s “Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom” debuted with $148 million, and 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion” opened to $145 million. Additionally, those “Jurassic” films achieved those higher numbers within their first three days in theaters, rather than over a five-day holiday period. “Jurassic World Rebirth” is anticipated to earn approximately $82 million of its holiday total during its opening weekend.
The most recent “Jurassic” adventure follows Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and Scarlett Johansson as they struggle with a variety of man-eating prehistoric creatures on an island while seeking biomaterial for the creation of a miracle medication. Really, it’s just a pretext to watch a mutated T-Rex sink its fangs into the flesh of some poor person.
David Koepp, the author of 1993’s “Jurassic Park,” wrote the screenplay for the most recent “Jurassic World,” which was directed by Gareth Edwards, whose other works include “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Godzilla.” “Jurassic World Rebirth” cost Universal $180 million to produce, and tens of millions more to promote. Even if it’s a lot of money, the movie wasn’t as costly to make as “Dominion,” which cost $250 million and change. Universal is placing a wager that “Jurassic World Rebirth” will wow viewers and usher in a third trilogy of movies, extending the run of a film franchise that has been around for 32 years. Franchises manage.
The only significant new release this weekend is “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Both Universal’s live-action remake of “How to Train Your Dragon,” which made $2.8 million on Thursday to bring its domestic total to $213 million, and Apple Original Films’ “F1,” which made $6.1 million on Thursday to push its domestic gross to $83.5 million, will be its main rivals.
