In a surprising turn of events, Disney/Pixar's Lightyear is underperforming at the box office, launching with an underwhelming $51 million over Father's Day weekend, while Universal's Jurassic World: Dominion is holding strong and will remain king of the box office for the second week in a row with $58.7 million (-59%).
The Chris Evans-starrer collected $34.6 million overseas, bringing its global total to $85.6 million over three days, which is a relatively average start and well below expectations as early projections were expecting a domestic opening in the $70 million to $85 million range.
While Disney undoubtedly underestimated the appeal of dinosaurs to its target audience, there is a slight silver lining, as since the film is catered toward younger children, there is a good possibility Lightyear will have strong legs through the hot summer months, but only time will tell whether it will manage to recoup the $200 million production budget, especially with Illumination's Minions: The Rise of Gru just around the corner.
Meanwhile, dinosaurs still rule the earth for Universal, as the Colin Trevorrow-directed blockbuster has now grossed over $621.2 million worldwide ($248.8M domestic; $372.4M foreign).
While reviews have been a franchise-worst, the reception from theater-goers has been pretty positive thus far as it's earned an "A-" CinemaScore and a 78% audience score on RottenTomatoes, both of which are on par with 2015's Jurassic World and notably higher than 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in the danger zone, Top Gun: Maverick continues its winning streak with a $44 million, which is the second-best fourth weekend of all-time, behind only Avatar ($50.3M). The blockbuster Tom Cruise-starrer has now grossed over $885.2 million worldwide ($466.2M domestic; $419M foreign) and will soon be crossing that $900 million mark on its way to $1 billion!
In our review, we said "Jurassic World: Dominion is pure dinosaur mayhem at its finest, 100% fueled by nostalgia and amplified by epic dinosaur action, making it one of the more fun films of the summer. Due to a so-so story, enjoyment will likely heavily depend on your investment in the series, but if you’re looking for two hours of chaotic entertainment, then this is definitely the film for you."
The star-studded cast of the Jurassic World: Dominion will feature Jurassic alums Chris Pratt (Owen Grady), Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing), 3x Golden Globe-nominee Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Academy Award-winner Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), Academy Award-nominee Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), BD Wong (Dr. Henry Wu), Omar Sy (Barry Sembane), Justice Smith (Franklin Webb), Daniella Pineda (Zia Rodriguez), and Isabella Sermon (Maisie Lockwood).
Newcomers to the franchise include DeWanda Wise (She's Gotta Have It) as Kayla Watts, Mamoudou Athie (Sorry for Your Loss) as Ramsay Cole, Campbell Scott (The Amazing Spider-Man) as Dr. Lewis Dodgson, Scott Haze (Venom) as Rainn Delacourt, Dichen Lachman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Soyona Santos, Kristoffer Polaha (Wonder Woman 1984) as Wyatt Huntley, Elva Trill (Starstruck) as Charlotte Lockwood, Dimitri Thivalos in an undisclosed role, and Varada Sethu (Now You See Me 2) as Shira.
Jurassic World: Dominion roars into theaters June 10!
This summer, experience the epic conclusion to the Jurassic era as two generations unite for the first time. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are joined by Oscar®-winner Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in Jurassic World Dominion, a bold, timely and breathtaking new adventure that spans the globe. From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.