Jurassic World is out this weekend, and one thing seems to be clear: at the very least it’s the best Jurassic Park sequel so far.
So is that enough to warrant another installment in the series, and if so, do we even want one?
How likely is a Jurassic Park 5?
While a Jurassic World sequel has not been officially confirmed, it is almost certainly happening.
Why? Well let’s put it this way; Jurassic World made $82.3 million in just one day, and it’s on track to possibly have the biggest opening weekend of all time. Universal would have to be crazy not to be considering a sequel.
So it’s already a successful film?
Oh undoubtedly. Not only has it already made a ton of cash in just the first couple of days since its release, it’s also broken Universal’s all-time record for Thursday night showings. Its impressive opening has given it the third biggest debut of all time, trailing behind just Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
As a little cherry on top, Forbes reports that Jurassic World‘s Friday numbers are the best of all time, beating the previous record set by the original Avengers. All told, across domestic and international theaters, Jurassic World has grossed over $212 million dollars so far. That is absolutely massive, despite a pretty beefy budget (estimated somewhere in the range of $150-$200 million with marketing).
So yes, in terms of financials, another Jurassic Park movie is almost certain.
Would Chris Pratt return?
If the studio wants him, he’s in. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pratt revealed that he’s been signed for, “I think 38 movies or something.”
He’s being sarcastic of course, but he’s definitely committed to at least a couple of potential follow-up movies. However, extended contracts like that are par for the course for franchise films these days (with the increasing demand for good continuity), so that doesn’t necessarily mean his character will be featured in a sequel.
That being said, he’s one of the biggest stars in the world now, so I have to imagine the option would make a lot of sense for the studio.
Would director Colin Trevorrow return?
On that note, we have a much more definitive answer. Trevorrow has said that he developed Jurassic World with potential sequels in mind, but that he has no interest in personally directing the next one.
He stated that he would continue to be involved in the series, but that he thinks it will benefit from a Mission: Impossible-esque approach, with new directors bringing in a fresh spin with each installment.
What would it even be about?
We’ll cover this more in-depth once we’ve given it some thought, but Trevorrow (by request of Steven Spielberg himself), spent time working in potential directions for new films in the series. While Jurassic World is a self-contained story, it did leave room for more dino-splicing shenanigans with B.D. Wong’s escape from the island.
Trevorrow also hinted that the next movie could feature dinosaurs being used outside of a theme park setting, possibly in the military (as set up by Vincent D’Onofrio’s character). In an interview with Collider, he added that the series won’t always be about a Jurassic Park, and that future installments could explore how humans and dinosaurs might co-exist.
How about you? Do you want to see a sequel to Jurassic World, and if so, what could it be about?
