The dinos have a new lease on life.
Universal and Amblin’s Jurassic World Rebirth came in well ahead of expectations at the Fourth of July box office to hatch a new era for the Steven Spielberg-created franchise. In North America, the holiday tentpole is reporting an estimated five-day domestic opening of $147.3 million, including $91.5 million for the three-day weekend. (Estimates have been revised upwards every day since the pic hit the big screen midweek on July 2.)
Jurassic World Rebirth, the seventh title in the series, is roaring even louder overseas, where it opened to an estimated $171 million from more than 80 markets. That puts the film’s global start at $318.3 million — the second-best launch of the franchise, and the biggest worldwide opening of the year to date, after passing up A Minecraft Movie. No one saw that coming.
Internationally, Rebirth scored the second-best international opening of the year and of the franchise. It even bit off a big number in China, where Hollywood tentpoles can no longer depend upon big grosses. The dino franchise, like the Mission: Impossible films, is an exception. Rebirth debuted to $41.5 million to score the biggest opening of the year so far for a Hollywood title. And it already ranks as the second-biggest Hollywood pic of the year behind Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. Other top markets included the U.K. ($16.6 million) and Mexico ($14 million).
In North America, Rebirth ranks as the fourth-best showing ever for the July Fourth holiday, both in terms of the five-day and three-day number. That’s no small feat considering July 4 fell on a Friday this year, meaning many moviegoers were distracted by holiday outings on what’s normally a critical day for new films.
To boot, the latest Jurassic World pic has received decidedly mixed reviews from both critics and audiences alike (one example: it earned a meh B CinemaScore from moviegoers). But there’s no dismissing the power of the Jurassic brand, or the spectacle of seeing dinosaurs come to life on the big screen. “It’s the definition of a popcorn movie,” is one common refrain making the rounds in Hollywood. Another? “It’s dumb fun.”
Heading into the holiday, the pic was eyeing a far more modest domestic opening in the $100 to $120 million range and $260 million globally, considering it was a reboot and the seventh installment in a series more than 30 years old.
Following the conclusion of the Jurassic World trilogy directed by Colin Trevorrow, Spielberg, Amblin and Universal, they went back to the drawing board and enlisted filmmaker Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) to direct Rebirth from a script by original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp.
The film features an all-new cast anchored by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey. The story follows an extraction team that races to an island research facility that factored into the original Jurassic Park (along the way, they discover a shipwrecked family). Now, the island is inhabited by the worst of the worst creatures that were left behind.
Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda also star. Producers include longtime franchise stewards Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, with Spielberg and Denis Stewart exec producing.
The first three Jurassic World pics all grossed north of $1 billion globally, and all opened higher than Rebirth domestically (comparisons are complicated by the fact that those were all there-day, non-holiday openings). In 2015, Jurassic World opened to a franchise-best $208.8 million, followed by $148 million for 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and $145 million for 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion, not adjusted for inflation. At the same time, the latest film cost less to produce, or a net $180 million before marketing.
The first Jurassic Park, directed by Spielberg, opened to $47 million domestically in early June 1993, not adjusted for inflation — a huge sum at the time.
Also setting off fireworks at the box office was Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie, which has already earned nearly $300 million globally, including a 10-day domestic tally of $109.5 million.
From Apple Original Films in partnership with Warner Bros., F1 came in second over the holiday weekend with an estimated three-day gross of $26.1 million. Overseas, it racked up another $56.3 million for a foreign cume of $184.1 million and $293.6 million globally.
The movie, reteaming Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, is a critical and audience darling and fell just 54 percent in its second outing. The film is enjoying a major boost from having a lock on Imax screens for three weekends.
Universal was a double winner at the holiday box office as DreamWorks Animation’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon came in third place with an estimated $11 million for a domestic tally of $224 million. Globally, it set off fireworks in clearing the $500 million milestone after amassing a foreign haul of $292.9 million.
Pixar and Disney’s troubled pic Elio came in fourth with an estimated $5.7 million for a muted domestic tally of $55.1 million. Overseas, it earned another $6.7 million for a foreign tally of $41.7 million and $96.8 million globally.
Danny Boyle and Sony’s 28 Years Later rounded out the top five domestically with $4.6 million for a domestic haul of $60.2 million. The sequel grossed another $7 million at the international box office for a foreign total of $65.6 million and $125.8 million globally.
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster’s ill-fated M3GAN 2.0 fell off somewhat less than expected, or 62 percent, in its second weekend to an estimated $3.8 million after bombing in its debut a week ago. The Universal releases tied for sixth place with Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, which is likewise reporting a three-day gross of $3.8 million.
Lilo & Stitch made major headlines in passing up A Minecraft Movie to become the top-earning pic of 2025 at the worldwide box office after finishing Sunday with a global total of $972.7 million. It remains to be seen whether the Memorial Day release can become the first Hollywood title of the year to join the billion-dollar club.
Elsewhere on the top 10 chart, fellow Memorial Day release Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning finished Sunday with a global haul of $576.2 million.
July 6, 8 a.m.: Updated with revised estimates.
This story was originally published July 5 at 9:17 a.m.