Credit: Universal PicturesIt might sound strange to suggest that the Jurassic Park film series could be in trouble, given that last year’s Jurassic World Rebirth proved that the franchise still has plenty of bite after grossing $869.1 million worldwide, but that was just the commercial side of things.
Critically, the film received mostly negative reviews. Now, many fans refuse to accept it as canon after it unceremoniously retconned the global dinosaurs storyline established in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and expanded in Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Jurassic World Rebirth Was a Disaster for the Series
The film also came under fire for its weak script and underdeveloped characters, despite a powerhouse star like Scarlett Johansson leading an all-new cast. It was lauded in other departments, though, namely its VFX, for which it was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 98th Academy Awards. But creatively, Jurassic World Rebirth was still a huge disaster.
Still, a new sequel is reportedly in development, with director Gareth Edwards and Johansson said to be in negotiations to return, although Universal hasn’t announced anything yet. But where the film series can go from here remains to be seen. The franchise has experimented with everything at this point – failed theme parks (two and counting), dinosaur hybrids, human clones, global threats, and most recently, mutant dinosaurs.
Related: Universal Abandons ‘Jurassic World’ Era, Begins Shift Back Toward ‘Jurassic Park’
Will Jurassic World 5 end up introducing other prehistoric creatures like the woolly mammoth and the saber-toothed tiger? Maybe that long-gestating concept about human dinosaur hybrids will finally see the light of day. At this rate, though, we wouldn’t be surprised if Universal launched the franchise into space – they did it with Fast & Furious.
The truth is that the next film in the series needs to try and win back longtime fans after Rebirth, and a direct sequel to that film is unlikely to do that. Universal needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with something that feels fresh, whether that’s a prequel set during the fan-favorite Park era, or a reboot of the entire series altogether, similar to how HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series is essentially a remake of the Wizarding World films.
And now, a Jurassic Park reboot might be more necessary than ever, as the second trailer for a new dinosaur movie that could easily dethrone the beloved series has arrived online.
Ever since Jurassic Park roared into theaters in 1993, we’ve had a few mainstream dinosaur films. Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005) is perhaps the only one in the genre that comes close in terms of vision, quality, and success, but recent years have given us the likes of 65 (2023) starring Adam Driver and the equally forgettable Meg 2: The Trench (2023).
Now, a new dinosaur movie looks like it’s taking a page out of the Jurassic playbook.
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Film Series Is Finished, New Report Suggests
A New Kind of Jurassic Movie Is Coming
The End of Oak Street (previously titled Flowervale Street) is directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) and produced by J.J. Abrams. It stars Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) and Ewan McGregor (Doctor Sleep) as a couple whose family, along with their entire neighborhood, is transported back to the prehistoric era through a mysterious storm.
“After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings,” the official synopsis from Warner Bros. states.
Warner Bros. unveiled the first trailer for the film earlier this year, which naturally drew many comparisons to the Jurassic films:
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director revealed the inspiration behind his new film, explaining:
“A few years ago, I was walking through our neighborhood in Michigan, just walking down the street, and I was passing by this garage [with a] chain link fence and garbage cans. And I was struck by the image of, like, ‘It’d be really interesting if there was a dinosaur right there.'”
This concept will instantly resonate with Jurassic fans, who had hoped to see dinosaurs in suburban settings in 2022’s Dominion. But that film squandered the franchise’s biggest opportunity by focusing more on corporate espionage and another contained setting, before Rebirth essentially retconned the entire premise of dinosaurs co-existing with humans.
Of course, The End of Oak Street is not a Jurassic Park/World movie, but a brand-new trailer that was released on June 1 certainly echoes those films by featuring tense moments and high-quality dinosaurs that look like they were lifted directly from Universal’s franchise.
As such, Universal may need to reconsider its strategy for the Jurassic film series going forward, because if The End of Oak Street proves to be a hit, the studio may see fans “moving in herds” towards what could easily become a new dinosaur movie franchise, and one that could usurp a long-running series that suddenly feels like a cheap clone of its former self.
The End of Oak Street will be released on August 14, 2026.
Do you think The End of Oak Street could spell trouble for Jurassic Park? Does Universal need to reboot the franchise to win back fans? Share your thoughts!
