Few franchises have had a longer or more complicated relationship with blockbuster cinema than Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. Since Steven Spielberg’s original film was released in 1993, the film series has leaned heavily on spectacle, box-office dominance, and cutting-edge dinosaur effects—even as critical reception has fluctuated wildly.
That trend continued with 2025’s Jurassic World Rebirth, the seventh entry in the franchise. Directed by Gareth Edwards and written by original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp, the film attempted to reset the series by eliminating most dinosaurs worldwide and returning to an isolated island setting. Starring Scarlett Johansson, the story follows a team retrieving dinosaur DNA while evading mutant dino-hybrids.
Critically, the film struggled. Audiences and reviewers alike pointed to issues with the plot, character development, and the underwhelming mutant dinosaurs. Still, familiar strengths remained. The franchise’s dinosaur VFX —particularly the Spinosaurus and Mosasaur—continued to impress, maintaining a technical standard few blockbusters today match.
Related: New ‘Jurassic Park' Experience Could Allow Fans To Change Original Film's Ending : Disney Fanatic
Commercially, on the other hand, Rebirth performed exactly as Universal Pictures hoped. The film earned $869.1 million globally on a $180–225 million budget, placing it among the top-grossing releases of the year despite its divisive critical reception.
Now, the film has earned unexpected awards recognition.
According to Industrial Light & Magic, Jurassic World Rebirth has been nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 98th Academy Awards, making it the first Jurassic sequel to receive an Oscar nomination since The Lost World in 1997. ILM nominees include David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan, and Neil Corbould.
With strong box-office results and an Oscar nomination, a sequel appears more likely than ever, even as the franchise moves further away from the Jurassic Park branding in theaters. That name, however, isn’t disappearing entirely.
The Park era will continue in other media, most notably with “Jurassic Park: Survival”, an upcoming first-person video game set the day after the events of the 1993 film, bringing the franchise back to its original timeline. There's no release date for the game yet.
The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday March 15, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
Are you excited about the possibility of another Jurassic World Rebirth? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
