Dinosaurs run over the competition
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” exceeded all expectations, ushering in a new era for the franchise created by Steven Spielberg in the 1990s, leading the box office during the July 4th holiday in the United States, but especially around the world. The Universal and Amblin film recorded an estimated revenue of US$ 147.3 million in the first five days in the United States, of which US$ 91.5 million came from the weekend. The figure was revised upwards since the preview screening on July 2.
No exterior, the seventh episode of the series delivered even more impressive performance, reaching $171 million in over 80 markets. The result raises the global premiere to $318.3 million — the best worldwide release of 2025, surpassing “A Minecraft Movie.”
What explains the above-average international performance?
Outside North America, “Recomeço” had the second-best opening of the year and among all movies in the franchise. In China, where Hollywood super-productions no longer have a guaranteed audience, the film opened with $41.5 million, becoming the biggest opening of the year for an American title and the second-highest total performance of 2025, behind only “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.” Other significant markets were the United Kingdom ($16.6 million) and Mexico ($14 million).
In the U.S. and Canada, “Recomeço” appears as the fourth highest box office ever recorded for the July 4th holiday, both in the five-day period and the weekend. The result gains additional weight considering that the holiday fell on a Friday, when part of the potential audience prioritizes other commitments outside of the cinema.
How did the movie surprise you?
Before the premiere, projections pointed to a more modest opening—between $100 million and $120 million in the US and around $260 million worldwide—considering that it is a reboot with a new cast, led by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, and the seventh film in a long franchise.
However, the box office history of dinosaurs has been consistent: the first three “Jurassic World” films have exceeded $1 billion globally, while “Jurassic World” opened with $208.8 million in 2015, followed by $148 million for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and $145 million for “Jurassic World: Dominion.” The detail is that the new movie had a more contained budget, estimated at $180 million without counting promotion, which increases its profit compared to previous ones.
It’s worth remembering that the franchise began in 1993 with “Jurassic Park,” directed by Steven Spielberg, which earned $47 million at the time of its release – a considerable amount back then.
Despite the numbers, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” had a mixed reception from critics and audiences, reflected in the B CinemaScore and the Rotten Tomatoes rating, where 52% of critics considered the film weak.
Brad Pitt and dragons continue in the ranking
The holiday ranking was also marked by the continued strong performance of “F1,” starring Brad Pitt, which has already accumulated nearly $300 million in global box office in ten days. The Apple Original Films production, distributed by Warner Bros., ranked 2nd in the holiday, earning $26.1 million over the weekend, plus $56.3 million internationally, for a total of $293.6 million.
A DreamWorks Animation completed the podium with “How to Train Your Dragon” in live-action version, which earned $11 million over the weekend and reached $224 million in the US and $500 million worldwide, with strong international performance ($292.9 million).
What are the other highlights of the Top 5?
The U.S. ranking also had “Elio,” from Pixar and Disney, in 4th place, with $5.7 million. Despite the weak performance, the film has already accumulated $55.1 million domestically and an additional $41.7 million outside the U.S., totaling $96.8 million.
The horror “Extinction: Evolution,” released by Sony, closes the Top 5 with $4.6 million, reaching $60.2 million in North America and a global total of $125.8 million.
Below, in sixth position, “M3GAN 2.0” had a 62% drop in the second week and earned $3.8 million, the same result as “Lilo & Stitch.” However, the Disney live-action remake stood out by surpassing “A Minecraft Movie” and taking the lead as the highest-grossing film worldwide in 2025, accumulating $972.7 million. It remains to be seen whether it will enter the billion-dollar club during the rest of its theatrical run.
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