After the very disappointing Jurassic World: The World After, the dinosaur saga returns to our screens this summer. With Colin Trevorrow, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Chris Pratt out, Universal wants to get off to a fresh start with new characters, new creatives, and a new approach. Jurassic World Renaissance lives up to its name, but it remains to be seen whether the public will be there.
Universal is playing big on this one; the company hopes to dominate the summer box office with its dinosaurs. But the competition is fierce, between DC's return to the cinema after the failure of its previous franchise and Marvel's revival with Fantastic Four: Beginning. In pole position, Jurassic World Rebirth, from its original title, does it have a chance? The US box office forecasts are in, and they're pretty encouraging.
A roaring start?
According to analysts at The Hollywood Reporter, Gareth Edwards' film is expected to gross between $120 million and $125 million during its first weekend. It's worth noting that the film is being released during the July 4th holiday in the United States, a time that's more likely to be a hit. For its part, Deadline is predicting a range of between $115 million and $135 million after five days. These are good numbers in both cases, but Universal and Amblin aren't as confident. Both entities are banking on revenues of $90 million or $100 million on American soil.
These figures could make many struggling franchises green with envy, but they are far from the standards of the multi-billion dollar franchise. For comparison, the 2015 reboot brought in $208.8 million (excluding inflation) upon its release. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom had grossed 148 million in 2018 while Jurassic World: The World After had an opening weekend of 145 million in 2022. The period was still tense for the industry, after a health crisis that had largely affected movie theater attendance.
Not a billion for Jurassic World?
The franchise's revenue has been declining, with each new installment generating less than its predecessor. Rebirth is therefore not arriving on familiar ground as the American box office forecasts suggest. Could this launch deprive the saga of a billion dollars? In any case, it would be a first since 2015 and a strong signal for the film industry. Jurassic World is one of the few franchises that hasn't suffered a major setback in recent years.
The fact remains that Renaissance benefits from a significantly lower budget than its predecessor ($180 million compared to $265 million for The World After), giving it a better chance of being a profitable venture for Universal and Amblin. It remains to be seen whether the public will be there.
As a reminder, Jurassic World: Renaissance takes place five years after the events of the last film. The planet's environment has proven more hostile for most dinosaurs, and few have survived. Those that remain live in isolated equatorial zones. Adventurer Zora Bennett, scientist Henry Loomis, and their guide Duncan Kincaid are sent to meet three specimens that may hold the key to a cure that will change the fate of humanity. After bringing to life the best recent Star Wars film (Rogue One), Gareth Edwards hopes to return to the saga's roots: a blend of adventure and horror. The film will be released in France on Friday, July 4.
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