When Michael Crichton had his novel published in 1990, he could not have imagined for a second how big the franchise would eventually grow to be in the future.
However, 30 years on, could interest in the film series be starting to fade? After filming was affected on two occasions by the coronavirus crisis, Jurassic World 3 has finally completed shooting and it is now set to be released in the summer of 2022.
“I’m not sure I can put it into words,” the film’s director Colin Trevorrow said in an interview with Deadline. “It has been remarkable. Our crew and our cast has been so resilient. All producers have worked around the clock to make it the best it can be. It has been inspiring.”
The movie – which is set to be titled Jurassic World: Dominion – will see Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard back in their roles from the previous two movies.
Jurassic Park icons Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Laura Dern are also set to appear in the new movie. But will anyone bother going to see Jurassic World: Dominion?
Jurassic World Series Has Struggled
While there has still been some excitement around the Jurassic World series, it has not been as successful as the first three movies in the franchise.
Indeed, the first Jurassic World film was initially supposed to come out in 2005 but it took a further 10 years until it was eventually released in cinemas.
To be fair, Jurassic World was a big hit. It even became the first ever movie to gross over $500 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
However, when its total takings have been adjusted for inflation, Jurassic World ended up taking less cash at the box office than the original Jurassic Park film.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was less successful when it came out in 2018 but it still ended up as one of the top-grossing films of the year.
However, it was not a critical hit – with plenty of plot holes pointed out in reviews – and fans widely agree it is one of the weakest of the five Jurassic Park films to have been made so far.
The issues with the production of Jurassic World: Dominion caused by the spread of COVID-19 mean that there will be a four-year gap between the fifth and sixth films in the franchise.
That is a long time for fans to wait and there is a chance they may simply move on to other things in the meantime.
Jurassic Park Fans Have Lots of Other Options
Fans of the Jurassic Park franchise now have the chance to indulge their passion in a number of different ways. They do not have to just wait for a film bearing its name to be released.
As an example, Netflix is now hosting Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, an animated series that recently launched on the platform. It has already been renewed for a second season.
There is also a live-action Jurassic Park TV series that is currently in production, but it is not known when this might become available for fans to watch.
The Jurassic Park franchise has even got its own slot game, which became a worldwide hit. As more and more Jurassic Park-related material gets released, interest in the movies could fade away fast.
Additionally, gamers can try out Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition, which is now available for the Nintendo Switch.
In the game, players have the chance to run their own dinosaur-themed attraction. Hopefully, that will go better than it has in the movies!
What Does The Future hold for Jurassic Park?
It is expected that Jurassic World: Dominion will not be the last film in the series. Instead, many believe it will pave the way for more movies, potentially a third trilogy, to be made.
Mamoudou Athie and DeWanda Wise are among the new cast members in that film and it has been reported that they could be a part of the next tranche of Jurassic Park movies too.
Actually getting Jurassic World: Dominion ready for post-production must be seen as a massive achievement given the fact that filming twice had to stop because of the pandemic.
“We were all far from those we loved at a time when you want to be closest to them,” said director Trevorrow. “I missed my family greatly. I was away from them for four months. But the cast in our bubble became another family.”
Whether or not people will be interested in seeing Jurassic World: Dominion, when it is eventually released, remains to be seen.
