‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Roars to Life With Massive Box Office Debut

Dinosaurs are back in a big way, and moviegoers can’t get enough. Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest chapter in the long-running franchise, has stormed into theaters with a huge opening, proving that the Jurassic name still draws massive crowds.

The film opened just before the Fourth of July holiday, and despite mixed reviews from both critics and audiences, it’s doing better than expected.

According to early estimates reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is one of the biggest openings of the year so far, both in the U.S. and worldwide. In North America, the holiday tentpole is on course to post an estimated five-day domestic opening of $141.2 million, including $85.4 million for the three-day weekend, according to Saturday’s estimates. Overseas, it’s estimated that the movie will have an even bigger opening with $171.3 million.

That puts the film’s global start at $312.5 million, the second-best of the franchise,

Directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, who penned the original Jurassic Park, this new installment marks a fresh start for the series. The story brings in a brand-new cast led by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey.

This time, the plot follows an extraction team sent to a mysterious island that once had ties to the original Jurassic Park. There, they run into a shipwrecked family, and a terrifying new set of dinosaurs that were left behind.

The movie takes a slightly different direction than the last three Jurassic World films, which were all directed by Colin Trevorrow. After wrapping up that trilogy, Steven Spielberg, Amblin, and Universal decided to take things in a new direction. This led to the hiring of Edwards and a shift in tone for the series.

Jurassic World Rebirth isn’t just doing well in the U.S., it’s making a lot of noise overseas, too. International audiences are showing up in big numbers, giving the franchise one of its best global starts ever. That’s a major win for Universal and Amblin, especially since expectations weren’t quite this high going into the holiday weekend.

The cast also includes Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, and Audrina Miranda. Longtime franchise producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley returned for this one, with Steven Spielberg and Denis Stewart serving as executive producers.

Even though the first three Jurassic World films had slightly bigger openings in the U.S., Rebirth had a smaller production budget, which helps its chances at turning a big profit. The original Jurassic Park movie, directed by Spielberg back in 1993, opened to a much smaller number by today’s standards, but at the time, it was a massive success.

Elsewhere at the box office, F1: The Movie starring Brad Pitt is still holding strong in its second weekend. It’s pulled in great numbers for a racing movie and has already passed major milestones both domestically and globally. Apple Original Films and Warner Bros. are behind that one.

Other big films currently in theaters include How to Train Your Dragon (the live-action version), Pixar’s Elio, Sony’s 28 Years Later, and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. Meanwhile, M3GAN 2.0 is dropping fast in its second week.

Final box office numbers are expected to be confirmed on Sunday. But for now, one thing’s clear, dinosaurs still rule the box office.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!