Jurassic World: Dominion chomps down on $18 million in previews

Jurassic World: Dominion debuted in previews yesterday, with some stunt previews happening earlier in the week, and it posted preview numbers higher than its predecessor but there are a few caveats at play here.

The latest entry of the Jurassic franchise, per Deadline, grossed $18 million in previews but this number doesn’t just include the Thursday showings that began at 4:00 PM yesterday. They also include other stunt previews for the film earlier in the week. If we’re nitpicking, this isn’t a proper preview number but it’s still a good showing out of the gate.

For comparison’s sake, Jurassic World, back in 2015, grossed $18.5 million in Thursday previews, which is slightly ahead of Dominion. In 2018, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom grossed $15.3 million in Thursday previews so Dominion does top that number. Jurassic World went on to open to $208.8 million, a record at the time, and Fallen Kingdom opened to $148 million. Dominion won’t be hitting the $208 million number but it may come close to Fallen Kingdom’s $148 million. I predicted $145 million for the weekend while tracking has it lower at $125 million.

We’ll have to wait and see how reviews and word of mouth will hurt its momentum. As of this writing, the film is 34% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes which is the lowest of the franchise but its audience score is more encouraging at 79%. Social media chatter appears to be very mixed, however, and we all know how fast that word can spread.

It should also be noted that Top Gun: Maverick opened to $19 million in Thursday night previews which also included similar stunt previews that took place for the film on “Top Gun Tuesday.” The Maverick sequel turned that into a $126.7 million three-day opening and $160 million over the full Memorial Day holiday. How in line are Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World: Dominion? It’s tough to tell. The dino-sequel definitely has more family appeal but if it’s really on par with Maverick, in terms of the three-day figure, then it will match the lower-end box office tracking. We’ll know more as estimates from today begin rolling out.

Did YOU catch Jurassic World: Dominion last night?