It’s almost like Groundhog Day (or Edge of Tomorrow… or Happy Death Day… or Palm Springs…) where dinosaurs roamed on the earth… again!
Yes, Jurassic World: Dominion dominated the box-office with a $145.1 million opening weekend. This was just “good” enough to be $3 million less than the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom debut in 2018. So, while this may be a mighty number, the publicity stunt of getting all three of the original Jurassic Park cast members worked to the tune of making less money. Uh, congrats?
Speaking of which, I was honestly surprised how much the OG cast played a role in the new movie. I thought they’d be just sitting behind a desk, giving the audience a cameo and a wink as Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard did all the heavy lifting again. (Well, they lift everything the CGI dinosaurs can’t lift. That’s the problem with dinos having really tiny arms!) Instead, the director had them rolling over in cars, spelunking through caves, being attacked by creatures great and small, and the scariest thing of all to do as you get older… climbing a ladder! Take it easy on these guys next time, will ya? I’m pretty sure they’ve earned it.
Jurassic’s success continued in its second weekend as it fell a reasonable 59% and now sits at a plump $250.3 million after 10 days. Sure, not the same level of success as the first Jurassic World had when it had crossed $400 million in 10 days in 2015, but the important part of not having to discount the prices of the Lego sets and toys associated with the film is secure.
On the other hand, unfortunately, we have our first underwhelming performance of the 2022 Summer Blockbuster Season. I like to live by a simple code of believing if you make a good movie, people will come… or if you make a bad movie, the marketing team can still pull off a respectable opening weekend. It’s always a shock to the system when both codes get broken in the same weekend.
Case in point, Lightyear barely lifted-off with a $50.6 million opening weekend. Toy Story 4 almost made that on its opening day! Clearly, Buzz was not the character people were hoping would get his/her standalone film. It was Rex all along! That, and maybe when the character people enjoy is a parody of a “real” Space Ranger, watching the “real” Space Ranger say and act out things sincerely isn’t as fun as it sounds in a boardroom.
With this definitely being a blow to ever getting a Bo-Peep origin story, it’s also a real knock on Disney who hasn’t pulled off an animated theatrical hit since starting Disney+. They’ve certainly had a successful launch of their network (and that’s where Encanto “blew up” after it became available for streaming during the Holidays), yet maybe with families spending $100 a year at home, they’re less likely to spend 100 bucks to go take their family to a movie… especially, if it’ll be on Disney+ just two months later. Let’s just say, as someone who had Lightyear as his #4 projected movie, if Disney can’t find success with their known brands like Toy Story, it seems even less likely for their original animation ideas.
What we did find was the Father’s Day film of choice was Top Gun: Maverick. The film only dropped 13% from last weekend and almost made as much as the new release Lightyear after a $44.7 million weekend. This flick is almost looking unstoppable now as it’s soared to the top of the 2022 summer box-office charts with $466.8 million. It’s crossing $500 million easy and that’s something no Thor or Minion/Despicable Me movie has ever done… yet :)
Finally, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems about to tap out as it is, of course, heading to Disney+ streaming this week. It is wrapping-up its theatrical run with $405.3 million which makes it the second most successful MCU movie since Avengers: Endgame after Spider-Man: No Way Home destroyed the universe last December. Not bad for a film that wasn’t even the best multiverse film of the year (That nod easily goes to Everything Everywhere All At Once). Though Disney may be struggling with its animated releases, the force is still certainly strong with the MCU.
The Top Five If Today Was Labor Day:
#1. Top Gun: Maverick - $466.8 million
#2. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - $405.3 million
#3. Jurassic World: Dominion - $145.1 million
#4. Lightyear - $50.6 million
#5. Downton Abbey: A New Era - $42.2 million
