Summary
The release ofJurassic World Rebirthmarks a fresh start for theJurassic Parkfranchise, with Gareth Edwards' sequel featuring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali promising to deliver exciting dinosaur action of the highest order. Ever since Steven Spielberg launched the franchise with one of cinema’s great blockbusters in 1993’sJurassic Park, the series of movies has generated billions of dollars at the box office.
With six entries in the franchise, soon to be seven, here are theJurassic Parkmovies, ranked by their highest worldwide box office gross, to see how the franchise can compete withbehemoths such asMission: Impossible,Star Wars, and theHarry Potterseries.
The third entry into theJurassic Parksaga marked the beginning of a differing creative vision as Spielberg stepped away from the director’s chair, with such decisions being key factors that led to a significantly lower box office gross than all other movies in the series.Jurassic Park 3saw the return of Dr. Alan Grant in a story that finds Grant’s troubles as a researcher, leading to the dinosaur expert taking the supposedly wealthy couple, the Kirbys, on a tour of Isla Sorna. However, their deception of seeking the tour soon became clear to Grant and his student, Billy Brennan.
Coming in as the shortest movie of the franchise, theintellectual growth of the raptors, amidst the island’s mysteries, and the couple’s intentions were not enough to recapture the magic of the originalJurassic Park. Although the movie’s $368.8 million haul was still enough to turn a profit, it fell short of the original’s transformative success.
The highly anticipated sequel toJurassic Park,The Lost World: Jurassic Park,saw Spielberg return, though the auteuronly chose to bring back Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough for the next adventure from the original cast. With Dr. Ian Malcolm taking center stage,The Lost Worldfollows the exploration of Isla Sorna, another island that hosts a wealth of genetically engineered dinosaurs. Due to the new hierarchy at InGen, which aims to bring a Jurassic theme park to San Diego, Malcolm and his group find themselves embroiled in a full-scale conflict while attempting to preserve the ecosystem.
The Lost Worldmay not have reached the heights of its predecessor in terms of quality and financial success, grossing just over 600 million worldwide at the box office. However, its continuation of theJurassic Parkuniverse, full of menacing dinosaurs and its introduction of rising stars, including Vince Vaughn and Julianne Moore, saw the sequel still produce heavy profits, demonstrating the intense demand for the franchise.
The most recent addition to theJurassic Parkuniverse,Jurassic World: Dominion, concluded theJurassic Worldtrilogy, grossing a total of $1 billion, marking a decrease in earnings compared toJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.Dominionfollows a world where dinosaurs coexist alongside humans, with the complications of such events soon leading to the Biosyn Corporation threatening to disrupt global food supplies through nefarious plans.
Despite the return ofJurassic Park’sfamous cast, includingGrant, Ellie Sattler, and Malcolm all togetheralongside Owen Grady and Claire Dearing,Dominioncomes in as the lowest-grossingJurassic Worldmovie. However, consideringDominionmanaged to generate a billion dollars while garnering poor critical and audience scores, it serves as proof that the immediate interest and action-packed chaosDominionoffers was still enough of a catch to reign in audiences.
Kickstarting the franchise in 1993 wasJurassic Park, an otherworldly cinematic experience unlike anything seen before, with Spielberg’s hits inJawsandE.T.being dwarfed in comparison to the success of the dinosaur epic.Jurassic Park’spremise revolves around the opening of a revolutionary theme park, Jurassic Park, which features an array of cloned dinosaurs. However, a power outage on the island causes mayhem to occur, resulting in dangerous dinosaurs running rampant, as Grant and Sattler work together to try and survive the dire situation.
Powered by John Williams' triumphantscore, the revolutionary CGI of its time, and bona fide movie-star performances by Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern,Jurassic Parksoared to box office heights, delivering over $1 billion, and was, at one point, the highest-grossing movie of all time. Such an impressive feat saw the influential film go on to have reruns in cinemas over the years, a testament to its supreme quality and blockbuster capabilities that brought out audiences in droves.
Fallen Kingdombecame a blockbuster hit upon its release, delivering Universal Pictures a billion-dollar film that further strengthened the sci-fi series' hold on pop culture. The second installment ofthe Chris Pratt-led moviessees Isla Nublar’s volcano soon erupt, putting many of the rare dinosaur species in grave danger. The re-teaming of Claire and Owen in their attempts to save the dinosaurs, a race against time, coincides with a nefarious plot to sell the endangered dinosaurs on the black market, adding further stakes for its protagonists.
Fallen Kingdom’svariation of dinosaurs, including the introduction of the frightening Indoraptor, brings an epic action adventure that continues to prove the franchise’s worth at the box office, with its $1.310 billion haul being an impressive feat despite earning less than its predecessor.
Jurassic Worldmarked the next chapter ofJurassic Park, 14 years on from the last entry in the notorious franchise, with Pratt’s Owen taking up the mantle of steering the next adventure in the universe where modern society meets dinosaurs. InJurassic World, a theme park populated with dinosaurs soon becomes a war zone when an Indominus rex escapes from its enclosure, prompting a team comprising dinosaur experts and military personnel to attempt to quell the chaos.
To date,Jurassic Worldhas dominated at the box office for the franchise, earning an astounding $1.671 billion and becoming one of the biggest hits in recent memory. The sheer anticipation and hype reachedfever pitch at release, as Prattand Bryce Dallas Howard lived up to the charm of the original protagonists. Meanwhile, the modern visuals produced impeccable and lifelike dinosaurs that only added to the engaging cinematic experience.
