Universal’s latest dinosaur spectacle, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ is looking to make a big impression at theaters worldwide. However, early forecasts suggest its box office bite may not match the towering heights of the previous ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy, which starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard and wrapped with 2022’s ‘Jurassic World Dominion.’

The seventh chapter in the iconic franchise is projected to earn between $100 million and $125 million over the extended Fourth of July weekend. Although Independence Day falls on a Friday this year, ‘Rebirth’ will get a jump on the holiday crowd with a Wednesday debut. For comparison, 2015’s ‘Jurassic World’ kicked off the rebooted series with a massive $208 million opening, while 2018’s ‘Fallen Kingdom’ and 2022’s ‘Dominion’ pulled in $148 million and $145 million — all over standard three-day weekends.

‘Rebirth’ brings a new cast into the spotlight — Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali — and aims to re-energize the franchise. The stakes are high: every film in the previous ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy crossed the $1 billion mark globally. While the $180 million budget for ‘Rebirth’ doesn’t require a billion-dollar return to turn a profit, Universal likely sees this installment as a launchpad for a fresh trilogy. Continued interest from audiences will be key to that plan.

Directed by Gareth Edwards and penned by ‘Jurassic Park’s’ original screenwriter David Koepp, the new film follows a covert operation to find dinosaurs with DNA that could unlock a cure for heart disease. Reviews have been mixed, with a 53% average on Rotten Tomatoes (as of July 2).

On the high end, the film is project for $260 million globally over the five-day weekend run (starting Thursday night).

Director Gareth Edwards takes the helm in this new franchise installement, who tackled 2014’s ‘Godzilla,’ which did just over a half billion worldwide, and fan favorite ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,’ which turned in $1.05 billion.

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