Jurassic World Rebirth is finally playing in theaters, and dinosaurs once again look set to rule the world this long Fourth of July weekend.
However, following mixed reviews from critics, it seems filmgoers aren't enamoured with the franchise's fresh start from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story helmer Gareth Edwards.
Jurassic World Rebirth received a 53% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and has been awarded 74% by moviegoers. Now, we have a CinemaScore, which is perhaps the best indication of how beneficial word of mouth will be to a movie.
As a reminder, CinemaScore is a market research firm that surveys audience reactions to newly released movies.
After attending opening night screenings, moviegoers rate films on an A+ to F scale, providing insights into audience satisfaction. Widely used in the film industry, CinemaScore helps gauge the initial reception of movies and influences box office predictions based on audience feedback.
The latest Jurassic World movie has been given a "B," a disappointing result for a summer blockbuster and one that sees Rebirth rank beneath Jurassic Park (A), Jurassic World (A), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (A-), Jurassic World Dominion (A-), and The Last World: Jurassic Park (B+). As a result, it's only beaten Jurassic Park III (B-).
What does this mean for its chances of box office success? Deadline reports that the movie earned $28 million on Wednesday, not including Tuesday previews. It's a solid start, and one that points to a $77.5 million 3-day debut and $127.5 million over 5 days.
The movie's main competition will be F1: The Movie, but Jurassic World Rebirth will open at #1 across the globe and has a week to make as much money as possible before having to deal with Superman. If word of mouth proves as poor as the CinemaScore suggests, that second weekend drop could be disastrous, though that would prove hugely beneficial to the Man of Steel following its latest opening projections.
Are you planning to watch Jurassic World Rebirth on the big screen this weekend?
Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.
Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson plays skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure the genetic material.
When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on a forbidden island that had once housed an undisclosed research facility for Jurassic Park. There, in a terrain populated by dinosaurs of vastly different species, they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that has been hidden from the world for decades.
Alongside Johansson, Jurassic World Rebirth stars Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. The supporting cast includes Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain, and Ed Skrein. Gareth Edwards directs from a script by Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp.
Jurassic World Rebirth arrives in theaters on July 2.