Almost 30 years ago, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park nailed a tentpole into the ground that sparked a legendary franchise. With the 2022 movie release of Jurassic World Dominion, that legacy only continues to cement itself into the lexicon of theatrical thrills, despite critical reviews harshly panning co-writer/director Colin Trevorrow’s big finale. An even greater success has been had in spite of that particularly cruel fate, as a wild box office number has just been racked up in franchise history.
To be clear, it’s not Jurassic World Dominion that’s making the record here. According to recent reporting from Deadline, the recent and long awaited Japanese market opening has pushed this year’s entry to $990.4 million; and could make that single film a $1 billion grosser. The new record that’s being tallied comes from the Jurassic franchise on the whole, which has now raked in $6 billion across six films.
Another interesting metric reported by the publication is the fact that Jurassic World Dominion is now the third highest grossing movie from Hollywood on the international market. Universal can pat themselves on the back yet again, as it’s outdone itself in this respect, with Colin Trevorrow’s blockbuster dinosaur finale surpassing No Time To Die in this certain regard. Looks like the stuntwork isn’t the only similarity shared between James Bond and the Jurassic movies.
Indeed, it feels like both series have a healthy audience to cater to, even in the pandemic era of releasing. Jurassic World Dominion’s impression on the world continues to thrive at the moment, especially in the domestic market; thanks to the home entertainment release. With two different cuts of the film available, one of which being the extended edition that restores Colin Trevorrow’s original vision of the film, even audiences who saw the movie in theaters have a reason to revisit the fun.
Tracking the progress of Jurassic World 3 against its predecessors is still, technically, a bit of a disappointment. For reference, the total worldwide gross of 2015’s Jurassic World sat at $1.67 billion when all was said and done. Even the slightly lesser grosses of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in 2018 slightly eclipses Jurassic World Dominion, with $1.31 billion in its bank. That more recent benchmark could still find itself beaten, as the Japanese release of the film still seems to be chugging along.
We’ll have to wait and see where the final Jurassic World film lands in the pantheon of Universal’s legendary franchise. What is readily apparent is that the allure of dinosaur action hasn’t gone extinct, meaning that wherever the studio decides to take the universe based on Michael Crichton’s books, it’s got a fanbase ready to dig in. The only questions outstanding are how long will it be before the Jurassic universe returns to its eager public, and how?
Jurassic World Dominion is currently available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD for rental or purchase. You might still be able to find the movie in theatrical showings though, so check your local listings if you want a larger than life experience. Meanwhile, if you’re a Peacock Premium subscriber waiting to bring those dinosaurs home, Jurassic World Dominion will be available to stream starting September 2nd; with the choice of both the theatrical and extended versions being on offer.
