JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH Stomps to $147 Million Over July Fourth Weekend, but Can It Carry a New Trilogy? — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

2 days ago

Universal's Jurassic World Rebirth opened to $147.3 million domestically over its first five days, easily dominating the Fourth of July box office. Playing in 4,308 North American theaters, the film's $91.5 million traditional weekend haul put it comfortably in first place.
While the numbers are solid, they do mark a noticeable decline from previous entries in the 32-year-old franchise.
For comparison, 2015's Jurassic World stomped out of the gate with a massive $208 million debut weekend. Its sequels, Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Dominion (2022), pulled $148 million and $145 million, respectively, during their three-day openings.
In five-day totals, the new film lags even further behind: Jurassic World hit $258 million, Fallen Kingdom brought in $181 million, and Dominion reached $172 million. Rebirth's drop reflects the wear and tear of a franchise that's been through a lot of evolutionary cycles since Jurassic Park first roared onto screens in 1993.
Still, Universal was smart to rein in costs this time. While the previous World films carried price tags close to $250 million, Rebirth was made for a relatively modest $180 million (not including marketing). That number makes profitability more attainable, even if this installment doesn't crack the billion-dollar mark like its predecessors.
Universal is hoping this latest entry, which features Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, will kick off a brand-new trilogy.
The global response so far supports that hope. Overseas, Jurassic World Rebirth pulled in a thunderous $171 million across 82 markets, bringing its worldwide debut to $318 million. As David A. Gross of FranchiseRe puts it, 'The series has been especially good overseas and, so far, foreign business is outstanding. Dinosaur action is understood in all languages and across all cultures.'
Directed by Rogue One 's Gareth Edwards and written by Jurassic Park 's original screenwriter David Koepp, Rebirth shifts the formula with a tighter focus.
The plot follows a covert mission tied to dinosaur DNA and its potential as a wonder drug. It's a slightly more grounded, espionage-flavored take, but still packed with teeth and spectacle.
Critically, it's faring better than the Chris Pratt-led trilogy. Word-of-mouth seems to be helping, with Universal's president of domestic distribution Jim Orr stating: ' Jurassic World Rebirth is exactly what audiences want to see in a summer blockbuster: a great cast, great direction and great visuals. Word of mouth is phenomenal, which points to a great run throughout the summer.'
The film didn't face much competition. Its biggest rival was F1 , Brad Pitt's racing thriller, which skidded into second place with $26.1 million in its second weekend, which is a 54% dip. Still, that brings its North American total to $109 million and $293.6 million globally, making it Apple's highest-grossing theatrical release to date.
In third, Universal's live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake added $9.7 million, bringing its worldwide total to $516 million. Pixar's Elio took fourth with $4.9 million, though with a global total of $96 million, it's on track to be one of Pixar's lowest-grossing films. Rounding out the top five , 28 Years Later dropped 64% to earn $4.6 million, pushing its global haul to $125.8 million.
Meanwhile, Disney's Lilo & Stitch remake is quietly becoming a monster hit, nearing the $1 billion milestone with $972 million worldwide. Naturally, a sequel is already in development.
After a strong Fourth of July stretch, the 2025 box office is now tracking 14% ahead of last year, though it's still over 25% shy of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
As Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian noted, 'With the Fourth of July holiday floating around the calendar, apples-to-apples comparisons become a bit difficult, [but] this will be one of the better Independence Day frames for cinemas. The combination of films in this theatrical marketplace is impressive.'
Jurassic World Rebirth may not be a record-breaker, but it's clearly alive and kicking. Now the real question is: can it keep the momentum going? I loved Rebirth, so I'm looking forward to see what come next in the franchise.
Via: Variety