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Jurassic World : Dominion" opens in US theaters this weekend. - Projections have been conservative as it faces poor reviews and competition from "Top Gun: Maverick."
"Jurassic World: Dominion" hits theaters in the US this weekend amid poor reviews and "Top Gun: Maverick's" continued dominance at the
"Dominion" is still expected to top the box office this weekend, but expectations have been tempered after it received a 38% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the worst of the "Jurassic Park" franchise.
Indiewire's review called it "one of the worst big-budget
Box Office Mojo's Sam Mendelsohn wrote that the "Dominion" will likely open below the first two "Jurassic World"
Shawn Robbins, the Box Office Pro chief analyst, lowered his prediction for the movie's opening weekend from as much as $210 million last week, to as much as $167 million as of Wednesday.
"Dominion" will enter a competitive market, "with 'Maverick' expected to continue holding strong with the aforementioned over-35 crowd — many of whom Universal is targeting with the nostalgia play of this particular 'Jurassic,'" Robbins wrote.
After opening to a record $160 million over the Memorial Day holiday, "Maverick" held strong last weekend with $90 million. It enters its third weekend with tons of momentum, and Robbins is projecting it to take another $57 million at the US box office.
"Maverick" has been riding off of strong word of mouth, given its 97% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and A+ grade from CinemaScore, a company that surveys audiences on a movie's opening night.
This doesn't mean "Dominion" will flop. The movie has already grossed $55 million from international markets ahead of its US debut. Its two predecessors both grossed over $1 billion worldwide, even with subpar reviews.
"Even if it underperforms stateside, the overseas openings we've seen so far suggest we may be in for another billion grosser worldwide," Box Office Mojo's Mendelsohn wrote.
The China market could make or break its $1 billion chances, though.
The first two movies grossed $228 million and $261 million, respectively, there. "Dominion" will also open in China this weekend, but Hollywood movies haven't been performing at pre-pandemic levels in the market due to a mix of shifting consumer interests, Chinese productions becoming more of a focus for the local film administration, and, more recently, pandemic-related lockdowns.