‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Chews Up 26% Rotten Tomatoes DC Blockbuster at the Global Box Office

Over a month into its theatrical run and with a digital debut mere days away, Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth passed what could be its final global box office milestone this weekend. If this turns out to be true, and the film stalls subsequently after losing a bunch of theaters, it would make Rebirth the latest in a growing list of Universal titles that have seemingly been undercut by premature digital debuts. Last year, the studio received flak for releasing the well-liked action comedy The Fall Guy on PVOD only 17 days after its theatrical release. But, the same studio didn’t let Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer near a small screen for months.

Rebirth director Gareth Edwards certainly doesn’t have the same clout. In fact, he was hired to helm the project after a significant amount of pre-production had already been conducted by the studio and the producers. It was reported that they were looking for more of a “shooter” on the project, and not an “auteur.” The previous trilogy of Jurassic World films delivered decreasing returns, both at the box office and critically. Jurassic World Dominion, the third installment, was seen as an underperformer despite having grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

At this stage, Rebirth has no chance of hitting this coveted milestone. The movie opened to mixed reviews, and appears to have settled at a “rotten” 51% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Going back to basics with rip-roaring set pieces and fossilized clichés, Jurassic World Rebirth doesn’t evolve this prehistoric franchise but does restore some of its most reliable DNA.” Produced on a reported budget of $180 million, the movie is headlined by Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali; it also cost significantly less than the previous two films, which rank among the most expensive ever produced.

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Has Also Overtaken a Pixar Classic and a Recent Sleeper Hit

With a running global box office haul of $766 million, Rebirth has overtaken the likes of Mufasa: The Lion King, Up, The Matrix Reloaded, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Suicide Squad. Directed by David Ayer, Suicide Squad remains one of the most notorious productions of the last decade. The film was retooled in post-production, and was essentially wrenched from Ayer’s hands. It holds a 26% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was still a major box office success that continues to inspire some fans to demand a director’s cut. You can watch Rebirth in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.