Jurassic World Rebirth Leads, F1 Follows in Explosive July 4th Box Office Race

Jurassic World Rebirth dominates the July 4th box office with a strong five-day start, even as it posts the lowest opening of the modern dino franchise.

Jurassic World Rebirth stormed into cinemas this Fourth of July weekend and stamped its mark at the top of the U.S. box office, earning a massive $26 million on Friday from 6,105 locations. While the film already racked up $55.8 million in the days leading up to the holiday, its total domestic take by Sunday is expected to climb north of $140 million. Despite leading the summer movie season, Jurassic World Rebirth now holds the title of lowest opening for any film in the modern dino franchise.

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📽️ Summer at the box office is officially in full swing with dinosaurs and racecars leading the charge. Universal Pictures’ latest prehistoric epic, Jurassic World Rebirth, made an impressive splash on the Fourth of July with $26 million in Friday earnings alone. This adds to a cumulative $55.8 million earned since its early release on July 2, bringing its projected five-day total to over $140 million, securing its position as the seventh-highest grossing domestic release of 2025 so far.

Despite the solid performance, Rebirth opened below expectations when compared to its franchise predecessors. The 2015 juggernaut Jurassic World opened with $208 million, followed by Fallen Kingdom with $148 million, and Dominion with $145 million — all in traditional three-day windows. Rebirth, spread across five days and bolstered by the holiday frame, falls short of matching those historic debuts.

Directed by Gareth Edwards and penned by David Koepp — the screenwriter of the original Jurassic Park — the film features a star-studded cast including Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. The storyline follows a daring mission through a deadly jungle landscape as the team races to collect dinosaur DNA believed to hold the cure for heart disease.

The audience reception has been generally favorable, with CinemaScore giving it a solid “B.” However, critics have been less kind, with the film holding a 51% score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of reporting.

Trailing in second place is Brad Pitt’s high-octane Formula One drama F1, which earned $7 million on Friday. The film is expected to see a 72% drop from its opening weekend, but still aims for a $24 million weekend total and should race past $107 million domestically by Sunday. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film also stars Damson Idris and has performed especially well in premium formats like IMAX and Dolby.

In third place, Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) brought in $2.8 million on Friday. The fourth weekend is projected to reach $9.7 million, pushing the total domestic gross to $222 million, officially making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2025. Director Dean DeBlois returned for the live-action remake and is set to direct its upcoming sequel, due in Summer 2027.

Coming in at fourth is Disney and Pixar’s Elio, which unfortunately marks the lowest opening ever for a Pixar release. It earned $1.5 million on Friday and is expected to end the weekend with around $54 million total. The film follows the story of a lonely boy who becomes obsessed with extraterrestrials but hasn’t resonated with audiences as previous Pixar titles have.

Rounding out the top five is Sony’s 28 Years Later, the long-awaited revival of Danny Boyle’s zombie saga. The film earned $1.15 million on Friday, with its third-weekend total expected to bring it to $60 million domestically. A sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, is already completed and scheduled for a January release. Whether the trilogy will be completed depends on continued box office success — or Boyle’s personal investment.

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