We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
In the realm of dinosaur movies, there is pretty much the “Jurassic Park” films and everything else. You might also call them the “Jurassic World” films, depending on which generation of the fandom one belongs to. Either way, we’re talking about a series of tentpoles that has endured for well over 30 years at this point with no signs of slowing down. Case in point, Steven Spielberg’s first two entries in the franchise are currently dominating Hulu.
Advertisement
Per FlixPatrol, Spielberg’s original 1993 blockbuster classic “Jurassic Park” is currently the number two movie on Hulu, trailing only the Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown.” Adding more fuel to the fire, Spielberg’s 1997 follow-up, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” is sitting comfortably in the number four position on the streamer’s charts, just behind the Best Picture Oscar winner “Anora.” That’s pretty good company to be in.
The fact that these movies are retaining a sizable audience on Hulu isn’t surprising. These titles tend to rotate the various streaming services and, once viewers catch an old favorite on the home screen, it’s tough to pass up. In this case, director Gareth Edwards’ “Jurassic World Rebirth” is set to give the franchise a reset this summer. With a new cast and the chance to kick off a whole new series of films, it’s very likely that audiences are looking to catch up on previous installments to prepare themselves for what’s to come. Hulu is currently benefiting from that.
Advertisement
The shockingly enduring staying power of the Jurassic movies
Even setting aside the impending arrival of “Rebirth,” we’re talking about a franchise that is massively popular across multiple generations, not unlike “Star Wars.” To date, the six “Jurassic Park” movies have generated more than $6 billion at the global box office. Only “Jurassic Park III” was an outright disappointment, with the rest of the films raking in big bucks over the years, even if they weren’t always critical darlings.
Advertisement
In the case of “The Lost World,” it couldn’t live up to its predecessor, and Spielberg knows that to be true. Even so, coming up on 30 years later, it appears that audiences still rather enjoy the sequel. I will personally defend “The Lost World” to the death, but that is neither here nor there. More importantly, I am not alone in that, it seems. At the very least, even the perceived lesser entries in this property maintain a tremendous amount of value well beyond their theatrical runs.
Universal turned “Jurassic World” into a $1.6 billion behemoth in 2015, literally making it one of the biggest movies ever at the time of its release. It arguably perfected the legacy sequel formula and helped revive the franchise for a new generation of fans. Who knows? Maybe younger viewers who are more familiar with the recent “Jurassic” trilogy are now going back to watch the older movies.
Advertisement
In any event, even though films like “Fallen Kingdom” and “Dominion” may have rubbed certain viewers and critics the wrong way, it’s crystal clear this property is still beloved. That’s particularly true when it comes to the original “Jurassic Park,” which is still one of the most influential and respected big-budget movies ever made. This should give Universal a lot of confidence moving forward as the studio plots the future of these dinos on the big screen.
You can also grab the “Jurassic World Ultimate Collection” on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.
About The Author
