Summary

Jurassic World: Dominion is the most expensive movie ever made, with a budget of $583.9 million.
Despite earning over $1 billion, Dominion's budget was wasted on a lackluster story and an underutilized cast.
Jurassic World: Rebirth must avoid repeating Dominion's mistakes to ensure franchise success.

The worst installment of the Jurassic World franchise now holds the record for the most expensive movie ever produced, and its reception proves it squandered every penny. The franchise began with Jurassic Park in 1993, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. It completed its original trilogy with Jurassic Park III in 2001, leaving the franchise dormant until 2015, when it was reinvigorated with Jurassic World.

The Jurassic World films completed their trilogy in 2022 with Jurassic World: Dominion, with each entry earning over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Proving the series still has significant legs, the Jurassic World franchise trudges on with Jurassic World: Rebirth, which is due out this summer. However, despite their profitability, each entry has a hefty price tag, and recent reports have proven the staggering dollar amounts. While initial reports had the budget lower, it now looks like the production costs of Jurassic World: Dominion make it the most expensive movie ever.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

How Jurassic World: Dominion Became The Most Expensive Movie Ever Produced

According to recent UK tax filings (via Forbes), Jurassic World: Dominion came with a hefty price tag of $583.9 million, which makes it the most expensive movie in history. The UK government also gave the production $115 million thanks to its film tax relief program. The Guardian reported that sum as the largest amount ever given to a single film since the inception of the tax incentive in 2007. This brought Jurassic World: Dominion's production costs down to $465 million, which is still the record for the most expensive movie ever.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in a close second with $447 million, though the dinosaur-themed franchise also holds the third spot, with 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom having a reported production cost of $432 million. The films have proven immensely successful, as beyond the silver screen, there are Jurassic World toys, video games, and even apparel, proving that their financial returns likely outweigh the production costs.

Numerous factors likely led to Jurassic World: Dominion's inflated budget. The extensive cast was probably not cheap to assemble, as it brought back Neill, Dern, and Goldblum from the original Jurassic Park films and saw them meet up with the new cast, including Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Dominion also features a staggering amount of VFX, and with a franchise known for pioneering the field, it doesn't come cheap to still look like the best. Furthermore, the movie was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, where the cast and crew were quarantined for months and followed costly restrictions to adhere to the new regulations. However, with as much money that went into Dominion, it still managed to waste every ounce of its potential.

Jurassic World: Dominion Squandered Its Budget And Wasted Its Cast

Jurassic World: Dominion may tout significant financial returns, as it earned just over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. However, that was also the lowest box office of the Jurassic World franchise, proving the film may have faltered in a few areas. The most glaring problem with Dominion is the squandered cast. Since the start of the Jurassic World movies, fans have been eager to see the cast of the original Jurassic Park films join the new leads. Jurassic World: Dominion saw that wish come to fruition, but the lackluster story and use of the characters ultimately left fans feeling disappointed. The characters often felt underutilized, and spent much of their time on uninteresting endeavors.

The story in Jurassic World: Dominion also missed the mark, spending much of its time investigating a mystery surrounding locust swarms engineered by Biosyn. While the evil plan was tied back to the themes of renegade bioengineering, it wasn't the dinosaur-fueled action for which ticket buyers signed up. Many viewers were also looking to see the continuation of the dinosaurs running amok around the world following the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Some were not a fan of that plotline, but Dominion only gives audiences glimpses of the fallout surrounding it, focusing on the antics of Biosyn and a child's kidnapping for much of its runtime.

While the visual effects and dinosaurs still measured up to some fans' expectations, Jurassic World: Dominion didn't please many. The film holds the franchise's lowest Rotten Tomatoes score, with an abysmal 29%, showing the story's direction wasn't well crafted, and the returning cast was wasted. Jurassic World: Dominion even had an extended post-production phase, as it was delayed from theatrical release due to pandemic concerns. This meant that the creatives behind the project, like returning director Colin Trevorrow, were given significant time to ensure quality, yet the movie still missed the mark.

Jurassic World: Rebirth Needs To Prove It Learned From Dominion's Mistakes

Jurassic World: Rebirth is set to hit theaters in a few short weeks, bringing new dinosaur thrills to the big screen. Gareth Edwards, director of Godzilla (2014) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, helms a script by original Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp. Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, and Mahershala Ali star in a story that will see the characters returning to an island setting, attempting to return to series roots while upping the ante. However, it must tread carefully, especially with some of its bigger ideas.

The movie is set to introduce the Distortus Rex, or D-Rex, a mutant T. Rex with several limbs and a "Rancor"-esque appearance resulting from failed experimentation. While this idea is interesting, it feels reminiscent of the genetic experimentation plotlines the franchise has already navigated. The D-Rex has the problem of potentially feeling familiar despite looking unique. Furthermore, it causes concern that the Jurassic World franchise may be losing steam regarding creative new ideas to drive it forward.

However, Jurassic World: Rebirth must learn from Dominion's mistakes, ensuring its new cast is well utilized, and the story offers viewers something fresh. The latest film could potentially be another billion-dollar box office success. Still, if it continues to disappoint like Jurassic World: Dominion, the franchise could be in jeopardy, especially when they boast such hefty price tags.

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PG-13

Adventure

Action

Science Fiction

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Release Date: June 10, 2022
Runtime: 147 minutes
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writers: Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, Jim Taylor, Michael Crichton, Peter Buchman, Rick Jaffa, Alexander Payne, David Koepp, Amanda Silver, Emily Carmichael
Producers: Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Steven Spielberg
Prequel(s): Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park 3, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Franchise(s): Jurassic Park