All eyes are on ‘Jurassic World Rebirth” this week, and not just because the teaser for “The Odyssey” is attached to it. The real question is whether there’s still a viable market for these costly ‘Jurassic World’ movies, which have been dominating screens for nearly 30 years.
The trades initially reported a production budget of $180M, but THR now claims the figure was closer to $225M. That’s a hefty price tag for what’s essentially a reboot, though not entirely out of step with the franchise’s history of extravagant spending. Shot at the height of the pandemic, the previous installment, Jurassic World: Dominion, reportedly cost upwards of $465 million—making it the most expensive film ever produced.
By comparison, ‘Rebirth’ looks like a bargain, but it's still a significant investment for a legacy franchise that appears to be losing steam. Despite Universal’s strategic July 4th weekend release, early projections suggest a domestic 3-day opening in the $80–85M range, which would be fine, but far from a sure sign of renewed vitality. The 5-day holiday weekend total is at around $120M.
Whether ‘Rebirth’ manages to ignite fresh interest or simply marks the beginning of the end for this prehistoric cash cow remains to be seen. Either way, the box office performance this weekend will speak volumes about the future of the franchise.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.