New 'Jurassic' Theme Park Experience Features a Rotating Movie Theater Described as "Kind of a Ride"

An upcoming Jurassic Park theme park experience may feature an indoor movie theater. The bad news is you won’t find it at Universal Studios, but the good news is that you’ll still be able to sit down and enjoy a movie. Although there is a catch — dinosaurs lurk at every turn.

The first-person action-adventure video game “Jurassic Park: Survival” is currently in development. The official trailer premiered at the Game Awards in December 2023, and there has been a huge amount of buzz among fans since.

Though for the most part cinematic, the trailer reveals the character Dr. Maya Joshi, a stranded InGen scientist, facing Isla Nublar’s deadly prehistoric inhabitants in familiar locations just 24 hours after the events of the original 1993 film by Steven Spielberg.

Watch the trailer below:

Some brief gameplay footage at the end also shows Joshi fending off dinosaurs like the iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor in never-before-seen areas, like the rain-battered docks and creepy underground maintenance tunnels.

Last summer, in an internal Q&A conducted with Universal Products & Experiences executive producer John Melchior and Saber Interactive creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick that was shared with IGN, more details were revealed about some of those locations, including a series of screenshots not seen in the trailer.

Among them was a shot of the iconic Jurassic Park mascot Mr. DNA, who can be seen on a big screen in what looks like a movie theater.

Sound familiar? That’s because it’s the same one from the 1993 film where John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) sit down to watch a film (part-animated) about how InGen scientists were able to genetically engineer and clone dinosaurs, all the while the cartoon mascot Mr. DNA offers some whimsical narration.

What’s particularly exciting about the inclusion of the movie theater — which can be found in the Visitor Center — is that players will likely be able to rewatch that film.

If Universal and Saber are going for a fully immersive Jurassic Park experience (and if you’ve read that Q&A they shared with IGN, it sounds like they are), then the chances are we’ll be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy seeing Mr. DNA whizzing about on screen.

Related: Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel Will Feature AI Dinosaurs

But as you’ll remember, those theater seats actually move — the “rotating theater” is actually part of the tour, designed to laterally ferry guests from the theater room to the InGen laboratories and beyond.

In the film, however, Alan, Ellie, and Ian end up forcing the seat barrier out of their way so they can get a look at the dinosaur eggs in the labs, but not before John Hammond tries to keep them seated, telling them, “It’s kind of a ride.”

But the rotating theater isn’t not the only thing to be excited about in “Jurassic Park: Survival. The developers have teased many other areas, whether it’s iconic ones like the towering park gates and Visitor Center in full, or new ones like the Safari Lodge hotel. Players can also expect to see the Jungle Explorers in some shape or form.

Of course, these locations sounds great, but don’t forget that the game is set 24 hours after the first film, which means there will also be deadly dinosaurs everywhere.

The tour that started back in 1993 is far from over. As Hammond said, “it’s kind of a ride.”

What’s “Jurassic Park: Survival” About?

“Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making,” the synopsis reads. “Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story.

“Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.”

There’s no release date for the game. Visit the website for more information.

Are you excited about revisiting familiar locations from Jurassic Park? Let us know in the comments!