The latest entry in the beloved dinosaur franchise, “Jurassic World Rebirth,” kicked off its theatrical journey on Wednesday, raking in an impressive $30.5 million. This seventh installment from Universal is poised to lead box office sales during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend, with projections estimating a total of $133 million over its first five days.
However, these figures reveal a discernible decline in interest, as they fall short of recent releases in the series. For reference, the original 2015 “Jurassic World” debuted with a staggering $208 million in its opening weekend, while 2018’s “Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom” started at $148 million and 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion” opened with $145 million—those figures all came from the first three days rather than a five-day holiday.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” is anticipated to accumulate around $80 million of its holiday earnings during the opening weekend.
Critics have responded more favorably to “Rebirth” compared to its predecessor, “Dominion,” praising the film for delivering more thrills and chills. Directed by Gareth Edwards, known for his work on “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Godzilla,” the film features notable performances from Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali as they navigate through prehistoric peril. David Koepp, also the writer for the original 1993 “Jurassic Park,” penned the screenplay.
Despite the cinematic carnage, the budget for “Rebirth” was $180 million, plus additional marketing expenses, making it less costly than “Dominion,” which exceeded $250 million in production costs. Universal hopes the film will attract enough viewers to pave the way for another trilogy within the franchise. The reduced budget means “Rebirth” won’t have to achieve the billion-dollar benchmark set by prior films to be deemed successful.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” will face stiff competition from Apple Originals Films’ “F1,” a $250 million racing drama featuring Brad Pitt, which caters to an older audience. “F1” is projected to earn between $30 million and $35 million in its second weekend, decreasing slightly from its initial $57 million. While significantly lower than the expected earnings of “Jurassic World Rebirth,” it’s noteworthy that with a market cap of $3 trillion, Apple is not under the same financial constraints as traditional studios, proving that even a T-Rex might bow to the strength of an iPhone.
