Box Office Battlefield: Jurassic World

Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard-earned dollars. The weekend warriors of June 12, 2015 includes Jurassic World as well as a two limited releases. Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over others and determine who will be victorious. Should you see ’em, skip ’em, or rent ’em?

Last weekend, Paul Feig’s Spy took first place in theaters with San Andreas and Insidious: Chapter 3 close behind. Not very franchise blockbuster-y films, this weekend promises a bigger, badder, and more shiny sequel. Can Jurassic World dust off the franchise to reign supreme? Hold on to your butts! This is the Box Office Battlefield:

Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow) Rated PG-13 [124 min] – Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor’s interest, which backfires horribly. Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Nick Robinson

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 71% • Audience – 87%

My review:

I honestly had very little expectations going in to see Jurassic World, and those expectations were met. The film has some decent entertainment value, but in terms of being something bigger than its whole with strong reflective themes, you’re going to have to keep watching the original Jurassic Park. The theme park world they create and the evolution of John Hammond’s idea is very realized and fun to see, but it’s hardly experienced to be amazed by it all. The use of the classic John Williams theme is very underwhelming compared to its first use in Jurassic Park. The characters are well cast with some fine actors, but very surface level. The fact that they have to try and make someone the bad guy is really forced and feels inorganic to the story. I highly suggest skipping it in 3D. MATINEE IT!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon) [Limited] Rated PG-13 [105 min] – High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, and Connie Britton

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 84% • Audience – 92%

My review:

The more time I’ve give to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl to sit with me, the greater the story has resonated with my emotions. MaEatDG is one of those special indie darlings out of Sundance that you can’t help but feel charmed by because of its raw honesty and well-developed characters. I was kind of taken aback by the awkward chuckles when I first watched the trailer in theaters with a crowd when the title card appeared, but I can understand how it can be a bit unsettling. But that feeling kind of plays into the personality of the film, which only strengthens its appeal and uniqueness. SEE THIS FILM!

The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle) [Limited] Rated R [80 min] – Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed, ‘The Wolfpack,’ the brothers spend their childhood reenacting their favorite films using elaborate homemade props and costumes. Their world is shaken up when one of the brothers escapes and everything changes. Starring Bhagavan Angulo, Govinda Angulo, Jagadisa Angulo, and Krsna Angulo

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 76% • Audience – 76%

Their reviews:

“The sheltered world of the Angulos, informed by cinema more than the teeming city right outside their apartment windows, is a haunting and utterly unique one.” – Alison Willmore (BuzzFeed)

“At its best, The Wolfpack helps us to see the cinema in the world, and not the other way around.” – David Ehrlich (Little White Lies)

My take:

I have not seen this film, but it looks like a very good sit if you’re a lover of cinema and want to see how that affected the lives of these people.

Since Jurassic World is the only wide release this weekend, and the fact that Spy and Insidious: Chapter 3 didn’t open with outstanding numbers last weekend, there’s a pretty clear winner here. The original Jurassic Park opened in 1993 with a domestic gross of $47 million. My guess for this weekend is that it will gain at least $65 million. So as it stands, I believe the victor for this weekend will be: