For over 30 years, the Jurassic Park franchise has been one of the most consistent in terms of commercial performance. Though the films don’t always fare well with critics, they routinely post high numbers at the box office. For proof, one doesn’t have to look further than this summer’s Jurassic World Rebirth. While reviews were mixed (50% score on Rotten Tomatoes), it was a massive hit over Fourth of July weekend and ended up grossing $868.4 million worldwide. That total was the lowest of the four Jurassic World movies (the previous three all crossed $1 billion), but it’s still an impressive sum that illustrated the IP remains lucrative after all these years. Universal doesn’t have any plans to put the franchise on the shelf.
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In the latest edition of his newsletter, industry insider Jeff Sneider reports that the studio is reuniting the main Jurassic World Rebirth creative team for the next franchise installment. Director Gareth Edwards is in “final negotiations” to come back, and it’s “expected” that stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey will return as well. The financial success of Rebirth was cited as the main reason why Edwards will be brought back. No release date has been set as of this writing.
Should Jurassic World Rebirth Get a Sequel?
Based solely on box office numbers, there’s definitely a case for making another Jurassic Park movie. Jurassic World Rebirth is currently the fourth highest-grossing film of the year worldwide, behind only A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, and Ne Zha 2. With just a few major commercial plays remaining on the 2025 release calendar, it’s all but a guarantee Rebirth will finish the year in the global top 10. Amidst shifting moviegoing trends that have impacted other popular genres, like superhero movies, audiences have shown they’ll turn out for more dinosaur mayhem in droves. A Rebirth sequel should be a moneymaker for Universal.
However, from a creative perspective, the answer isn’t as clear. The original Jurassic Park is still considered an all-time classic, but the franchise has struggled mightily to reach those heights since. Despite exploring potentially fascinating concepts like dinosaurs being integrated into the modern world, the movies have largely fallen short when it comes to telling compelling stories populated with memorable characters. Jurassic World Rebirth is no exception to this, as it received criticism for its predictable narrative and thin script. Though it had a trio of charming leads in Johansson, Ali, and Bailey, the film couldn’t recapture the magic of Alan Grant, Ellie Sadler, and Ian Malcolm’s seminal journey through John Hammond’s amusement park. An argument can be made that there isn’t much left to do with the franchise’s core premise and it should just be laid to rest.
Nailing a creative approach that reinvigorates the franchise narratively should be a priority for Edwards and his team. While $868.4 million isn’t anything to sneeze at, the fact is Jurassic World Rebirth made less than 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. In a post-pandemic landscape, it isn’t quite as easy for tentpoles to hit the $1 billion threshold, but Dominion pulled it off, so Rebirth‘s performance could be interpreted as a sign the franchise has lost a bit of its luster. If the Rebirth sequel gets mixed reviews, audiences might be less inclined to check it out in theaters. The franchise’s lowest-grossing installment, Jurassic Park III, was panned, so there’s a precedent for word of mouth impacing box office performance.
There’s also a case to be made that Universal would be better off waiting a while before making another Jurassic film. 2015’s Jurassic World broke box office records because it marked the end of an extended hiatus, so it felt exciting and novel to see dinosaurs on the big screen again (plus, the premise of a fully functioning dinosaur park was a cool hook). If Universal is getting the pieces in place for a Rebirth sequel now, it’s likely because the project is a priority and they want it in theaters sooner rather than later, so it’ll be interesting to see if there are any diminishing returns with a short gap between installments. Hopefully, everyone involved has a solid plan in place to help the film live up to the standard set by the original.
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