Moviefone Editorial

Tag: jurassic-park

  • Jeff Goldblum’s ‘Jurassic Park’ Pose Got Its Own Statue in London, and Fans Are All Over It

    Jeff Goldblum’s ‘Jurassic Park’ Pose Got Its Own Statue in London, and Fans Are All Over It

    Jeff Goldblum
    Universal Pictures

    The British were so preoccupied with whether they *could*, they didn’t stop to think if they *should* make a giant Jeff Goldblum statue.

    Of course, they made the right call.

    Now TV erected the tribute to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Jurassic Park,” and the birth of the $4 billion “Jurassic” franchise.

    This homage to Dr. Ian Malcolm will give London its sexiest reclining pose until July 26.

    Fans have been paying homage to the 330-pound #JurassicJeff statue on London’s south bank. They held on to their butts well enough, but also decided to hold on to Jeff’s nips:

    https://twitter.com/Fearian/status/1019565195084156930

    https://twitter.com/reluctant_gent/status/1019528444877639680

    https://twitter.com/shazzah_harm/status/1019555081639907337

    https://twitter.com/DLucksEdition/status/1019567211109810177

    God bless us, every one. No one had better dare make a “That is one big pile of sh*t” joke, since this statue is clearly a glorious representation of the next stage of evolution.

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  • 27 Stupid Things ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Thinks It Gets Away With

    There’s something really interesting happening in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom“: it seems like a better movie than “Jurassic World,” but it isn’t.

    When you take even a passing look at the script from Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, it features just as many shockingly bad, unexplained or implausible choices as its predecessor — except that director J.A. Bayona‘s considerable style turns this fifth installment in the storied franchise into something just scary enough to ignore them, at least while they’re unfolding.

    Nevertheless, we decided to go through the movie with a fine-toothed comb — or to be more accurate, just thought about it for five more minutes — and put together a list of some, and probably not all, of the many things that “Fallen Kingdom” thinks that it gets away with, but absolutely does not.

    From start to finish:
    1. Why would a giant underwater gate, protecting the park’s biggest dinosaur from unfettered access to the world’s oceans, need to be wifi enabled to operate?

    2. Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), a guy with limitless wealth — whose name we’ve never heard before — hires former Jurassic World employee-turned-animal rights activist Claire Dearing to go back to the park to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from being destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Was there not one other surviving employee at her pay grade, much less one who might be less scrupulous than her — given the events that subsequently unfold — who could plunk down their handprint and grant Lockwood’s team access to the island’s tracking system?

    3. Also, Franklin — Clarie’s de facto computer nerd employee — basically works as an IT guy for the Dinosaur Protection Group. What remotely qualifies him to go to an exploding island to hack into a computer system that Lockwood needs Claire’s handprint to get access to?

    4. And if they could basically get any skilled computer hacker to crack into the former park’s security system, why do they need Claire at all?
    5. Dr. Wu still lives and is still very clearly committed to genetically engineering any kind of dinosaur that his employers ask. Would he maybe have the security clearance that, say, the head geneticist would absolutely need that Mills could utilize to get access to Jurassic World’s computer system?

    6. Speaking of Wu and the survivors of the park, how many are there? Is he the only person in the world with the scientific knowledge to clone dinosaurs?

    7. Was the plan always to kill Owen, Claire, and the rest of the rescuers after they helped acquire Blue? Or did they make that decision on the fly? And if it wasn’t, what was the plan? How does the tranquilizer that Owen gets shot with work less well on humans than it does on dinosaurs?

    8. How exactly would one capture a T. Rex while it is still awake, as the mercenaries seem to do when they fly it off the island?

    9. Did Rafe Spall and Ted Levine know that they were playing dumber, broader versions of characters (Arliss Howard and Peter Stormare, respectively) from “The Lost World?”
    10. How does Owen, Franklin, and Claire go off a cliff, where there is no visible shoreline, and wash up on the beach in a sandy cove?

    11. Although Spall’s character, Eli Mills, intends to sell the dinosaurs to the highest bidder, Lockwood was apparently sincere about his desire to protect them. What was Mills’ plan to deceive his employer — hope that Lockwood just died before finding out? Because his seemingly improvised solution when Lockwood’s “granddaughter” finds out what’s going on is to murder his employer.

    12. Then again, how long could Mills be developing this plan to sell and exploit dinosaurs in Lockwood’s own house — where he lives basically as a shut-in — without being found out? Was Lockwood aware of the super-secret basement lab? Or the “Blade II,” Blood Pack-looking security team of mercenaries carrying assault rifles outside his home?

    13. Speaking of the “granddaughter,” what is the presumption we are to make about her with regard to Mills after Lockwood’s death? He views her as property? Mills fires Lockwood’s assistant, who leaves without a fight — despite having loved and raised this child — and then announces that he will be her guardian.

    14. It’s unclear how much an individual dinosaur costs to “raise” — starting with the price of the technology and manpower to clone, feed, and train them, not to mention the massive undertaking of hiring a team of mercenaries to go in and bring them back to the mainland. In three years, The Masrani Corporation already paid $800 million in settlements to victims of the park. Dinosaurs sell for $10-20 million apiece, and the entire auction in the film earns $125 million. What is Mills’ business plan?

    15. Basically, why would Mills sell dinosaurs for millions when they likely cost billions to clone?

    16. Since Wheatley left them for dead on the island and they not only survived but completely uncovered Mills’ plans for the dinosaurs, why wouldn’t Mills not immediately kill Owen and Claire after locking them in one of the dinosaur cages?
    17. How long does it take an Indoraptor grow to full size? Even if they were able to successfully take DNA from the Indominus Rex bone retrieved from the Mosasaurus lagoon, how much time could have elapsed between then and the dinosaur auction to raise and train it with the laser targeting device?

    18. There is no indication whatsoever to the evil consortium of black-clad animal traders that dinosaurs can be trained or controlled, minus Owen’s work with Blue. Why would they think it’s a good idea to drop a Velociraptor (much less the Indoraptor) into combat situations — or at least good enough to pay tens of millions of dollars to try it out? And it’s JUST one dinosaur – how would that be cost effective to any military?

    19. And who do they plan to find to train these dinos? Outside of Owen, are dino-combat trainers a thing?

    20. And, if not, if Owen is the only expert in his field, why kill him?
    21. Is Wheatley (Ted Levine) a big-game hunter or just a garden-variety mercenary? Either way, was he not prepped about the behavior of dinosaurs before going to Isla Nublar, or at the very least, would he really have absolutely no instinct to avoid leaving open the door to the cage of a very dangerous-looking dinosaur when he went in to retrieve his trophy (a tooth for his necklace because REASONS) from its mouth?

    22. Early in the film, Claire says that a Velociraptor can track its prey from more than a mile away. Why can’t the Indoraptor make a snack of Claire, Owen, and Maisie in about five seconds — in a room where the creature is on one side of the only obstacle in the room — and the humans on the other?

    23. Also, how is it impervious to tranquilizer darts?

    24. If a Velociraptor can smash through metal and glass without any trouble at all, why wouldn’t it be able to easily break through the wooden door of a dumbwaiter?

    25. Why does Owen risk his life to save the little girl from a raptor brawl raging in her bedroom, only to curl up in bed with her to watch in awe as the dinos go at it?

    26. And why does Lockwood’s granddaughter, when faced with the the threat of a dinosaur in her house, retreat to hiding under her bed sheets? After we saw her scale the outside of her very tall home, in the rain, simply because she suspected weird sh** was afoot?
    27. When we first see Ian Malcolm, he is giving a speech to Congress. Then, at the end of the film, we seem him again. Addressing Congress, in the same clothes and at the same time of day as last time. So is Malcolm giving part of the same speech from the beginning of the film at the end? Or does Congress just have him on retainer to deliver ominous speeches about mankind’s hubris and the dangers of genetic engineering?

  • ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Star Daniella Pineda on Who Came Up with That ‘Nasty Woman’ Line

    There are a lot of dinosaurs in J.A. Bayona’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” There are creatures of every shape, size, and tooth configuration running and galloping and chomping. And while Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard gamely return to the franchise, there are also some fresh faces that these sneering beasts chase after.

    Of these characters, the breakout is undoubtedly Dr. Zia Rodriguez, a “paleo-veterinarian” played by Daniella Pineda, who gets swooped up in an adventure to save the dinosaurs from the original Jurassic World (there’s an impending volcanic eruption, don’t-cha-know).

    With her distinctive look (glasses! tattoos!) and a take-no-guff attitude, she feels like the closest the franchise has had to a Ian Malcolm-style rock star scientist since he left the franchise (he’s back in this, but less chaos-y). And talking with the young actress was a genuine delight. She is just as spirited and smart as the character she plays in the film, and she let us know what her relationship was to the original film, who came up with that “nasty woman” line, and if she’s started bothering producers about a part in the next sequel.

    Moviefone: What was your relationship with the original “Jurassic Park“?

    Daniella Pineda: That was one of the first VHS tapes that I owned — it didn’t belong to my parents, it belonged to me. And I actually ended up breaking that VHS in a VCR probably because the VCR was janky, to be honest, but I like to think it’s because we played it so many times.

    What was it like when you got the call to be in the new one?

    I was in Los Angeles when I got the call. I was in West Hollywood, after having just flown in from New York City, and subsequently found out that my apartment was infested with these giant, cat-sized rats. It was my new apartment. And I was like, “Great, I have to get out of here.” And then I found out that I got the job and flew to London that Sunday. So it was all super immediate and crazy. But it was the best phone call that I’d ever gotten in my life.

    Was it a secretive process? Did they tell you anything about the movie?

    If you’re an actor and you pass on a movie like this, you should not be an actor. I would have been an animatronic. I would have been a bush. But the fact that I got a big speaking part was a big deal.

    I was going to ask you about the animatronics! Can you talk about what it was like working with those?

    I think J.A. Bayona wants things to look real and, you know, we’ve been in this CGI world for a long time. I really like it when something isn’t completely CGI, but rather is enhanced with CGI. And what was so wonderful was that J.A. cares about the performance and having such a lifelike animatronic makes the actor have a better performance — there’s something that’s physically there to react to. And the animatronic of Blue was so realistic, it took about 12 puppeteers to operate it from underneath. Its eyes would dilate, is veins would pulse, it would sweat, it had reptile scales. It was the craziest thing you’ve ever seen.

    And you had to run away from imaginary dinosaurs.

    Well, I didn’t have to too much. Chris, Bryce, and Justin did a lot more. I didn’t get so much cardio on this movie. When the dinosaurs were completely computerized, we didn’t have anything to react to. But what was cool during those scenes was that we didn’t have to play audio, so there were entire scenes I got to do with music playing. J.A. would play a song that would be in relation to the tone of whatever scene we were doing. That made my job a lot easier.

    What songs would he play?

    One of my favorite movies is “Ghost” with Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg. “Unchained Melody” and also the theme song to that movie, J.A. knows that it makes me cry on command. So that was a bit of a cheat. And he would play those songs for me.You also got a moment that got a big reaction when Ted Levine calls you a “nasty woman.” Was that in the script?

    I believe that was Ted Levine. I think Ted came up with that. I could be wrong. But I think that was Ted. Ted is brilliant. Of course, everyone remembers him as Buffalo Bill from “Silence of the Lambs.” Ted was tremendous. I loved having him on set. Because he’s that kind of classic old school actor and, when you’re in a scene with him, you have to bring it.

    Did you get some good stories out of him?

    Oh, big time. He’s been around. I love him. His big scene in the movie is my favorite.

    Was there any scene you shot that you wish was still in the movie?

    Well, it’s funny — I spoke with J.A., our director, last night. And our original cut of the movie was two hours and 40 minutes and we shot so much footage. So there was so much that got cut. The story, as you know, picks up real fast — the action hits real fast. And there’s one scene that I wish had made the final cut where we’re with all these mercenaries inside this military truck. And I’m sizing Chris up and saying, “You have good muscle structure, good jawbone, and I don’t like men but, if I did, maybe it’d be you.” It was a funny scene that gives a little back story about her and where she’s coming from. They had to cut that along with a million other characters’ cool scenes.

    It was so refreshing to see a Latina main character. Did that add any pressure?

    Yeah! That’s a really interesting question. First of all, I was really excited because — within the American/Latino demographic — some of us who have been here for several generations where we’re put in this position of not being Mexican enough and not being American enough. I think Edward James Olmos gave a whole speech about it in the “Selena” movie. Check that out.

    Shout out.

    Shout out! But I’m honored to be in a position that a lot of third generation Mexican Americans share. When it comes to Latinas, I think we need diversity within diversity. I didn’t necessarily see myself growing up. I saw a lot of very beautiful, very sensual women, but I didn’t really see myself. When it comes to that, I’d like to see the spectrum. So if I get to be a part of that, then cool.

    The ending of this movie really leaves things open. Have you started campaigning for your character to return?

    I have no control over that but let’s just say I’m screaming at them to put me in the next one.

    “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is in theaters EVERYWHERE starting tonight.

  • ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Star Justice Smith on Working With Dinosaurs and Pokemon

    Justice Smith, at 22, has the kind of career most actors dream about.

    Smith can toggle between theater, television (he famously starred on the short-lived Baz Luhrmann Netflix show “The Get Down”), and film (his big splash came in the form of 2015’s YA adaptation “Paper Towns“). And this weekend, his career is going to go stratospheric with his supporting role in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”

    In the film, Smith plays Franklin — a tech wizard working for a nonprofit that wants to save the dinosaurs from “Jurassic World” (there’s a volcano set to erupt on the island that will make them extinct … again). From there, he gets caught up in a whirlwind adventure that sends him to the island and then to the creepy mansion of a morally compromised industrialist. He gets to act alongside heavyweights like Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, as well as lots and lots of dinosaurs. As everyone knows, these movies are a thrill ride and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is, similarly, a scream.

    We were lucky enough to chat with Smith about what impact the original “Jurassic Park” had on his life, where he’d love to see his character go, and if talking to an imaginary character became any easier when he signed on to next year’s “Detective Pikachu.” (Yes, there are Pokemon private eyes now, so what?)

    Moviefone: What was your relationship to the franchise prior to being cast in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”?

    Justice Smith: I first saw the original when I was seven or eight. I used to take these family road trips with my siblings and my dad, and we would bring this portable DVD player and re-watch all three of the original “Jurassic Parks” in order. And I fell in love with them. I’m a huge horror movie fan now, and I think that it’s because of the horror elements in that first film. I loved watching people get eaten.

    Were you hoping to get eaten in this one?

    Yeah, that’s not far off from what I was thinking.

    What was it like working with the full-scale dinosaurs?

    The dinosaurs were incredibly lifelike. Blue — [she] sweat, she drooled, she had fluid in her eyes, her veins pulsed, she breathed, her scales felt real. And it was cool to work with something that was physically there instead of a tennis ball because it made my job a lot easier.

    Is there a method to running away from imaginary dinosaurs?

    Yeah, so my trick to acting alongside tennis balls is I pretended that I was afraid of tennis balls instead of dinosaurs. I just pretended that Franklin had an irrational fear of being touched by a tennis ball. And that worked! It worked for the film! It was a lot harder to imagine a full dinosaur there. But when I watched it, it looked like I was scared, so that’s good.Did director J.A. Bayona do anything else?

    Yeah, J.A. would not tell me a lot of the stuff that was going to happen before it happened in order to get a proper reaction out of me, which I appreciated as an actor. He would play T-Rex roars over the loudspeaker in the middle of shooting so I would jump or scream; he really cares about getting the film right, so I was onboard for it.

    Can you talk about what it was like working with “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” director J.A. Bayona?

    He’s a visionary and you can tell that not just from this film, but his previous work. So, if anything, I just wanted to get it right. There were a lot of technical aspects that you had to fall into in order to get the shot that he wanted or to fit into this grandiose vision. But, overall, he really came through in the end. I was very happy with the finished product a few days ago. He did something that really separated it from the other films, by adding this element of fantasy to it. So, that was cool.

    You guys shot for a long time on this movie. Were there any scenes you wish were still in there, or you hope will show up on the DVD?

    Yeah, there are a few scenes. There’s an interaction that me and Daniella have with Ted Levine, who plays Wheatley, where we introduce ourselves to him. I really liked his reaction and I thought it was really funny. So I hope that ends up on the DVD. There was a lot of improv and funny stuff we did that I hope is on the DVD.

    The movie has a very wide-open ending. Do you hope to come back? Have you started petitioning for Franklin’s return in subsequent adventures?

    That is not up to me at all. If they want me to come back I will gladly come back. But I kind of have to look forward. [laughs]

    In your next film, you’re also interacting with an imaginary creature in “Detective Pikachu.” Can you talk about what that was like for you, and did you get better at acting alongside tennis balls?

    That was harder because I was actually physically talking to Pikachu. So that was a whole new challenge. I can’t really give anything away about the story, but it was a lot of fun and I am really excited for people to see it. I think it’s going to exceed expectations.

    “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” opens everywhere Friday.

  • Director J.A. Bayona on How ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Is a Haunted House Movie with Dinosaurs

    No matter what you think of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” one thing is undeniable: it is impeccably directed by J.A. Bayona, a Spanish filmmaker and protégé of Guillermo del Toro who delivered “The Orphanage,” “The Impossible,” and “A Monster Calls.”

    Bayona takes the world that director Colin Trevorrow introduced in “Jurassic World” and fills in all the contours, giving us a rich, scary adventure from jump street with the highly effective opening prologue. Gone is the harsh sunlight from the first film, replaced with sinister shadows. (The fact that much of the movie takes place in a Gothic manor seems almost too perfect.)

    Seriously, this movie is gorgeous. And the way that Bayona stages the suspense set pieces, with an emphasis on experiential terror, will remind you of Steven Spielberg‘s playful direction of the very first “Jurassic Park.” Truly, things have come full circle.

    So you can imagine what a thrill it was to get to talk to Bayona about having turned down the original film, what he added to the sequel, and why he’s okay with returning the franchise to Trevorrow for the third movie (currently slated for June 11, 2021). It’s a roaring good time.Moviefone: You were offered the first “Jurassic World,” but turned it down. What changed between the movies?

    J.A. Bayona: At that time there was no script — and we had to start production in six months. And I didn’t think I was the right guy to do that. They actually delayed the production after they hired Colin, because there was really no time to do the movie.

    What was it about the idea that stuck with you?

    It’s great to have a chance at working on such a beloved franchise like “Jurassic.” I always wanted to work with Steven Spielberg. When the first [“Jurassic World”] came out, they started immediately talking to me about a sequel and [this time] there was more time to work on the script and develop the story, and I really wanted to be involved.

    What was your interaction with Spielberg like?

    Well, he supervised the whole process and you always shared with him the big decisions, in terms of the cast, in terms of the story. I also wanted to share with him the designs for the scenes, the set pieces, and shots. It was very special to be able to sit down and work with him.

    The third act of this movie becomes a kind of haunted house story.

    Yep.Was that from you or was that always in the script? It lines up with your sensibilities so perfectly.

    The first time I talked to Colin, he said that he thought I was the right director because the second half of the movie was kind of like a haunted house story. And I was kind of shocked when I heard that. But I really liked the idea. Because one of the things I really liked the most about the first “Jurassic Park” is the moment of suspense in the kitchen. So the idea of recreating some of those scenes, with a dinosaur inside a mansion, I found really exciting.

    Can you talk about your approach to these set pieces?

    I think when you’re focusing on the design of suspense scenes, I think it’s all about taking the right elements and making the best of them. I think it’s not actually about activation; it’s about building up. So it’s kind of interesting that after being on the island and seeing this massive volcano eruption, we focus on this moment with the dinosaur where you get to focus on your characters, alone, in the dark with only one dinosaur. There’s no light, there’s no sound […] It’s the thing I love about this — the impact you can get from more details, like the close-up of a dinosaur claw on the floor or the handles of a window opening. That kind of idea I really liked.

    That Gothic element extends to the movie’s score. Can you talk about working with Michael Giacchino?

    I am so happy with what Michael Giacchino has done with the film. I think we somehow found the right voice of the movie. There was this adventure on the island and he made the tone, going to this feeling of danger into this Gothic horror, suspenseful movie. And that’s not easy. It’s a beautiful score and there are moments when you can hear the choir that aids the story in really great way.There seems to have been a real emphasis on practical dinosaur effects. What necessitated that desire?

    I think it’s very tricky when actors interact with dinosaurs, especially in the close-ups, when the actors are touching the dinosaurs. And having come from another movie, “A Monster Calls,” where one of the characters was a giant tree monster created with CGI and animatronics, I learned my lesson. I wanted the characters to really interact with the dinosaurs — really touching them — and that is something that you can only do with animatronics. And animatronics are also a very good guide for the CGI guys, since you can get a great reference on texture and light and color. So it’s an amazing blend of techniques that makes the dinosaurs work.

    Is it bittersweet to hand the story back to Colin Trevorrow for the third part?

    I always knew that I was only going to be involved in the second one. Taking care of the second one was exciting because, usually, the second part of a trilogy is when everything gets more complicated and complex and interesting. And you take what happened in the first movie and deliver what’s going to happen. I think Colin has a lot of very exciting possibilities for the next one, and he was the one that started it all and he’s the right one to finish it.

    “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is everywhere this week.

  • Chris Pratt Talks Prepping for ‘Jurassic World’ Sequel on ‘Unscripted Overtime’

    Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are no strangers to “Unscripted,” having been guests together once before for the original Jurassic World as well as for the newest episode promoting “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”

    But because they had so much fun, too much for one episode in fact, that we’re back with another “Unscripted Overtime” to highlight the best clips that were (unfortunately) cut for time.

    In the first clip, Chris Pratt discusses how he watched a lot of J. A. Bayona films to prepare for the “Jurassic World” sequel.

    And we also learn what Bryce Dallas Howard prefers: pretending to react to dinosaurs that aren’t there, or all that running and screaming she has to do.

    “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” directed by J. A. Bayona, also stars Jeff Goldblum, Ted Levine, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, BD Wong, and Rafe Spall. It hits theaters everywhere June 22, 2018.

  • Box Office: ‘Incredibles 2’ Has Best PG Opening Ever, ‘Jurassic’ Franchise Hits $4 Billion 

    Daaaaaaaaaamn. “Incredibles 2“ picked up just over $180 million in its debut weekend at the domestic box office. That is beyond superheroic.

    Everyone figured “Incredibles 2” would beat the record for best animated movie opening, held by “Finding Dory.” But it body-slammed that $135 million record by an extra $45 million. On top of that, it took down Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” record (just over $170 million) for the best opening for any movie rated PG.

    “Incredibles 2” can also boast the eight-best domestic opening of all time. Even surpassing expectations (which were initially around the $140M mark, then upped to around $170M), it’s still the third biggest opening of 2018, behind Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Black Panther.”

    “The Incredibles“ sequel — which arrived 14 years after the original — has barely opened overseas, but picked up $51.5 at the foreign box office, putting the worldwide total to date at $231.5 million.

    There wasn’t much room for anyone else at the North American box office.

    “Ocean’s 8“ topped last week and took second this week with $19.5 million. The R-rated comedy “Tag” did decent business, though, considering the obstacles against it, taking third and picking up $14.6 million.

    Fourth place on this week’s box office chart went to “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” sending “Deadpool 2“ to 5th, with the other new film “Superfly“ taking 7th place with $6.3 million. You have to look down to No. 12 to find new John Travolta film “Gotti,” which made just over $1.6 million from just over 500 theaters.

    Indie horror hit “Hereditary” is still doing well, dropping less than expected in its second weekend, and picking up $7 million for 6th place.

    Guess what, though?

    “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is coming to the U.S. next week — June 22 — and it’s already powering through its international run.

    So far, the “Jurassic World” sequel has made about $380 million at the foreign box office, pushing the “Jurassic” franchise at large over $4 billion in total worldwide grosses. Life finds a way (to keep making money)!

    There have been five “Jurassic” films to date — starting with the original “Jurassic Park” trilogy, and continuing with the “Jurassic World” trilogy, which has another film to come in 2021. Already, the “Jurassic” group is one of the Top 10 franchises of all time.

    Predictions for next weekend, when “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” opens here, and “Incredibles 2” heads into its second week?

    [Via: Deadline, Box Office Mojo, Variety]

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  • Matt Damon Was Cut From ‘Ocean’s 8’ But Got His Own ‘Jurassic World’ Mashup

    Matt Damon has been The King of Cameos in the past year — from “Thor: Ragnarok” to “Deadpool 2.”

    But there’s one that got away.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Ocean’s Eleven” characters Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) and Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner) were originally planned to re-appear in the new movie “Ocean’s 8.” Reiner even said last summer that he filmed a scene with Sandra Bullock, and Damon talked about making an appearance.

    “Ocean’s 8” director Gary Ross told THR some cameos were cut to fit the story:

    “[Picking the cameos] is an eclectic process of: how does it fit in the story and how is the narrative unfolding? This more than any movie I’ve done had a really copious editorial process where you play with stuff, you find stuff. I’ve never shot anything after I’ve wrapped on any other movie before, but in a heist movie and an ensemble movie, you’re still working on the play. And we did a bunch of that, and so that was satisfying as well.”

    Never fear, though, because Matt Damon found his way into “Jurassic World.” Sort of.

    He’s not really in the new sequel “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (unless he filmed another secret cameo) but Funny or Die posted a mashup of Damon’s “We Bought a Zoo” and scenes from “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World.”

    The result: “We Bought A Jurassic Park”:Beautiful.

    Chris Pratt’s “Jurassic World” sequel is already burning up the box office overseas, and we’ll get to see it in U.S. theaters on June 22. “Ocean’s 8” topped the box office for its opening last week … without Matt Damon.

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  • ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Unscripted with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard

    As everyone gears up for a return trip to the world of “Jurassic Park,” Moviefone got in on the action with a pseudo-sequel of our own: Another “Jurassic World” Unscripted!

    Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard joined us to chat about their new action-packed sequel, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” They took a bite out of some questions (pun so intended) from fans, while asking each other a couple “unscripted” queries of their own. Topics discussed include tips for tackling Hollywood, the status of Pratt’s Instagram series “What’s My Snack?,” and what a “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jurassic World” crossover film would look like.

    “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” directed by J. A. Bayona, also stars Jeff Goldblum, Ted Levine, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, BD Wong, and Rafe Spall. It hits theaters everywhere June 22, 2018.

  • 15 Things You Never Knew About ‘Jurassic Park’ on its 25th Anniversary

    Watching “Jurassic Park” for the first time was like glimpsing into the future. So what does it say that this beloved Steven Spielberg movie is now 25 years old?

    The film, released on June 11 1993, changed the way we make movies. To mark that major milestone, and to pass the time until “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” hits theaters, here are some fun facts you might not know about “Jurassic Park.”
    1. Ian Malcolm’s line, “I think we’re extinct,” was a late addition to the script. In EW’s oral history of the film, back in 2013, the line’s origins started with dino supervisor Phil Tippet, who was brought on to oversee animating the dinos in stop-motion before ILM’s Dennis Muren presented his first CG animation test in wireframe form. “Steven asked me how I felt ­after seeing the footage,” Tippet revealed, “and I said, ‘I think I’m extinct.’ He said, ‘That’s a great line. I’m putting that in the movie.’

    2. Prior to directing “Jurassic Park,” Spielberg was working with writer Michael Crichton to develop a film version of “ER.” The two returned to the hospital-set project after “Jurassic Park” was released, turning it into a TV series instead.
    3. Despite the dinosaurs being the biggest selling point of the movie, “Jurassic Park” features only 15 minutes of actual dinosaur footage.

    4. “Terminator 2” director James Cameron said that he wanted to direct “Jurassic Park,” but the film rights were sold before he had a chance to bid on them. Cameron has admitted that this was probably for the best, as his version would have been darker and more violent.
    5. One of the reasons Spielberg cast Ariana Richards as Lex is that she screamed so loudly and convincingly during her audition, that Spielberg’s sleeping wife woke up and ran into the room to see what was wrong.

    6. In one shot, one of the monitors at Nedry’s cluttered workstation can be seen playing the movie “Jaws,” also directed by Spielberg.
    7. One of the most difficult effects to achieve in the film was also among the simplest — the cup of water that vibrates when the T-Rex nears the tour. Special effects artist Michael Lantieri finally cracked the code by attaching the cup to a guitar string underneath the dashboard and pulling it.

    8. Julianne Moore was one of many actresses who tried out for the role of Ellie Sattler. She was instead cast as Sarah Harding in 1997’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.”
    9. Despite the fact that the Jurassic Park logo features a skeletal T-Rex, the T-Rex actually lived during the Cretaceous Period. Crichton admitted that he just picked the design because he thought it looked cool.

    10. The film establishes Ian Malcolm and John Hammond as polar opposites when it comes to scientific philosophy. That clash is even reflected in their respective costume designs, with Malcolm wearing all-black outfits and Hammond all-white.
    11. The film greatly exaggerates the size of Velociraptors for dramatic effect. However, during post-production, a new, larger species of raptor — called the Utahraptor — was discovered.

    12. Between his salary and back-end royalties, Spielberg earned a whopping $250 million from “Jurassic Park.”
    13. The dilophosaurus is never shown walking during its brief appearance as it attacks Nedry, as the puppeteers struggled to properly convey movement. Spielberg eventually decided that simply having the dilophosaurus appear next to Nedry was more effective.

    14. Both “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List” were released in 1993, with Spielberg having to finish post-production on the former via videoconference while filming the latter. The process proved so grueling that Spielberg didn’t release another film for four years after.

    15. Laura Dern, who played Dr. Ellie Sattler, recalled in Entertainment Weekly’s recent oral history of “Jurassic Park” how Spielberg pitched her the movie: “I know that you’re doing your independent films, but I need you to be chased by dinosaurs, in awe of dinosaurs, and have the adventure of a lifetime. Will you do this with me?” Her “Wild at Heart” co-star Nicolas Cage, who said he’d always dreamed of being in a dinosaur movie, urged her to say yes.