‘Jurassic Park’ Abandoned Despite the Franchise’s Huge Box-Office Success
The Jurassic Park movies may be unlikely to return to theaters, but after the reception to Jurassic World Rebirth (2025), they probably should.
The latest movie earned $869.1 million worldwide, proving that audiences still have an appetite for dinosaurs. Audiences and critics were considerably less enthusiastic, though.
That reception is hardly enough to declare the franchise dead, particularly given the movie’s impressive box office. But it does raise an awkward question for Universal: if the Jurassic World identity is supposed to represent the next evolution of the franchise, why does it feel increasingly difficult to move the series forward?
The rebranding initially worked spectacularly. Jurassic World (2015) earned $1.67 billion worldwide, while Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) brought in $1.31 billion and Jurassic World Dominion (2022) also crossed $1 billion. Yet Rebirth fell considerably below those totals.
Related: Universal Is Rebuilding the Original ‘Jurassic Park’ Timeline, Despite Success Under ‘World’ Banner
A return to Jurassic Park specifically could offer something different. The first two trilogies were already united in Dominion, with cast members from both eras uniting, but Universal has continued building around the World name.
A sequel to Rebirth is in development, with Scarlett Johansson (Zora Bennett), Jonathan Bailey (Dr. Henry Loomis), and Mahershala Ali (Duncan Kincaid) expected to return. However, director Gareth Edwards has left over creative differences, leaving the studio to search for a replacement.
For now, the original Jurassic Park side of the franchise survives mainly through Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA), the upcoming game from Saber Interactive. Set one day after Jurassic Park (1993), it follows Dr. Maya Joshi (Payal Mistry), an InGen scientist stranded on Isla Nublar.
The first-person game combines exploration, stealth, action, and dinosaur encounters while recreating locations from the original movie.
The game was first announced at The Game Awards in December 2023, and later received a five-minute behind-the-scenes featurette in August 2025 showing pre-alpha footage. Saber confirmed in June 2026 that development remains active, but there is still no release date.
If Universal genuinely wants to reinvigorate the franchise, perhaps it’s time to stop treating Jurassic Park as a closed chapter.
Would you like to see the Jurassic Park side of the franchise return in theaters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
