Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jurassic Park beats Jaws in bizarre Steven Spielberg battle at 2020 box office

You’d be forgiven for thinking we’ve travelled back in time

Jacob Stolworthy
Tuesday 23 June 2020 12:34 BST
Comments
Samuel L Jackson in scene from Jurassic Park movie

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Steven Spielberg took on Steven Spielberg in one of the most bizarre box office battles of 2020.

Over the weekend, Jaws fought Jurassic Park for the top spot following their respective re-releases amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

For months now, the global box office has been comprised of a limited number of films – ones released in countries where cinemas are still open, and the films getting good showings at drive-in cinemas in the US.

However, with cinemas around the world preparing to open their doors once again, a series of films are being slowly re-released to coax people inside.

Spielberg’s blockbusters, distributed by Universal, were considered a good place to start and, despite a close battle, Jurassic Park won.

The dinosaur action film grossed $517,600 (£414,959) at 230 locations compared with Jaws’ impressive $516,300 (£413,917) at just 187 locations.

This is the fourth time that Jurassic Park has topped the box office since its initial release in 1993.

Big studio films scheduled to be released in July include Disney’s delayed live-action version of Mulan and Christopher Nolan’s espionage thriller Tenet.

One film to capitalise on the pandemic was Woody Allen’s controversial A Rainy Day in New York, which became the biggest-selling film at the global box office after being released in South Korea.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in