Steven Spielberg’s Franchise Sequel Overtakes The Most Expensive Star Wars Movie Ever Made

As Steven Spielberg grapples with the reception of Disclosure Day, his iconic franchise is in the news for its budget. Recent reports suggest that Jurassic World Dominion is the most expensive movie ever made. According to Fortune, NBCUniversal’s filings revealed the 2022 movie’s budget to be at $658.8 million.

Dominion’s budget surpasses the previous record by Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, which clocked in a budget of $638.9 million gross (via Forbes). While such a huge budget would be tough to recover, Dominion earned $1.001 billion at the box office, and its success even led to a sequel starring Scarlett Johansson.

Why Did Jurassic World: Dominion Cost So Much Money?

The Jurassic Park franchise is one of the most profitable franchises in Hollywood. Started by Steven Spielberg’s epic Jurassic Park in 1993, the series had its most recent entry last year with Rebirth. It consistently attracts audiences and the top stars due to Spielberg’s involvement and the action-adventure premise of the films.

Jurassic World was a new chapter in the franchise, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard headlining the trilogy directed by Colin Trevorrow and J.A. Bayona. Dominion, the final movie in the trilogy, cost a whopping $658.8 million to make, making it the most expensive movie of all time. So, why did the movie cost so much?

One of the biggest reasons for the staggering cost was the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming was reportedly halted due to the lockdown, and there were months where the studio had to pay for sets, soundstages, producers, and more cast and crew. According to Fortune, the lead cast was kept in hotels that cost as high as $600 per room per night.

The halt in filming set the premiere back by a year, and Dominion finally released in 2022. Despite negative reviews, the film earned a whopping $1.001 billion at the box office. It was the lowest-performing movie of the trilogy and led to a new chapter in the franchise, Rebirth, starring Scarlett Johansson and directed by Gareth Edwards.

Will Steven Spielberg’s Dinosaur Franchise Continue After Rebirth?

Dinosaurs in Jurassic World Rebirth | Credits: Universal

Despite the astronomical sums involved, the Jurassic franchise remains very much alive. Universal’s filings show that Dominion was the most expensive of the three latest Jurassic World films. On the other hand, the latest film, Rebirth, cost only $225 million and earned $872.4 million, despite mixed reviews (via The Numbers).

The franchise has been going strong since Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park in 1993, and a sequel to Rebirth is reportedly in development. David Koepp, who wrote the 1993 film as well as the 2025 film, and Spielberg’s latest Disclosure Day, told ScreenRant that a sequel was being considered by the studio, although there were some issues.

I think that the challenge of Rebirth was the franchises have become very big, very spread out. Let’s make the dinosaurs special again by restricting them. So we restricted them to this thing, and then the challenge becomes, okay, now how do we logically and in a scientifically believable way expand? That would be the question.

While no solution seems to have been found, the franchise will likely continue for years to come.

What do you think about the Jurassic World franchise? How does it compare to Steven Spielberg’s films? Comment below.