Jurassic World Dominion officially roared into theaters this past weekend and ended its premiere three-day slate atop the domestic box office, dethroning Paramount's Top Gun: Maverick from the illustrious seat. The final offering from the Jurassic World franchise generated $143.37 million domestically.
The Universal and Amblin film stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, reprising their established roles from the first two films. Jurassic World Dominion is set four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, which has created an environment where dinosaurs and humans must live alongside one another all across the world. Many fans of the beloved franchise were excited about the film's synopsis, but the biggest selling point for many was the official return of the iconic Jurassic Park trio.
It had been roughly 29 years since Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill shared the screen, which motivated various demographics to experience the film over the weekend. Per Deadline, Jurassic World Dominion hit the ground running for its Thursday previews, generating $18 million to end the night. The film saw a tremendous uptick on Friday, earning $56.7 million, which diminished slightly by the end of Saturday. After a solid $36.9 million Sunday performance, Jurassic World Dominion found itself atop the standings as the weekend domestic box office champion, accumulating $143.37 million.
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The impressive domestic total is the seventh-best opening weekend performance of the year, coming in closely behind Tom Holland's Uncharted and finishing comfortably above Sandra Bullock's The Lost City. Despite the impressive debut, critics have not received the new Jurassic World film well. The film currently has a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated project of the entire Jurassic Park franchise. The audience score, however, sits at 79%, alongside the film's A- grade from CinemaScore, which speaks to the varied reception level the film is receiving.
The unwelcoming reviews could have significantly put a dent in the film's projected opening performance, but the nostalgia and curiosity for the Jurassic Park world were enough to attract viewers to form their own opinion about the new adventure. Top Gun: Maverick finished its third theatrical weekend in second place, generating $50 million, followed by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which earned $4.9 million. The Bob's Burgers Movie finished the weekend in fourth, reaching $2.33 million, followed by The Bad Guys to round out the top five, which took home $2.25 million.
Globally, Jurassic World Dominion has accumulated $389 million, assisted by the $245.8 million the project has generated internationally. It'll be interesting to see if the film can sustain its solid momentum or if the negative reviews and opinions surrounding the film will catch up and impact the film's progress. The film's second-weekend performance will say a lot about its trajectory, but for now, it can rest comfortably knowing it took home the weekend box office crown.
Jurassic World Dominion is currently playing in theaters.
Source: Deadline