Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead For Jurᴀssic World Rebirth

The latest entry in Hollywood’s long-running sci-fi action franchise, Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, leaves some threads for a potential sequel to pick up, but there are still big question marks surrounding how it might play out. The fourth Jurᴀssic World movie and seventh Jurᴀssic Park movie, Jurᴀssic World Rebirth acts as a soft reboot for the franchise.

Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali star as three members of an expedition bound for one of the last environments left on Earth where dinosaurs can thrive. They’re tasked with retrieving DNA samples from the three largest remaining dinosaurs on the island, and predictably, things go awry.

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth‘s ending has franchise-altering potential, as the DNA that they collect and manage to get off the island could save the lives of millions of people around the globe. It also unleashes the possibility for other interested parties to get their hands on dino DNA for less than savory purposes.

But the discussion about whether Rebirth gets a sequel has only begun. With decent (for the Jurᴀssic Park franchise, anyway) reviews and a healthy projected box office return, the stage is set for the 32-year-old franchise to march on, but there are certainly no guarantees. What a potential sequel might look like is an entirely different question.

Jurᴀssic World 5 Is Not Confirmed

A Sequel Is Dependent On A Few Key Factors

As of the release of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, there has been no confirmation that a sequel has been green-lit. Recent comments from director Gareth Edwards indicate that he has no intention of returning to the franchise for a sequel, although it is still entirely possible a new entry moves forward without his involvement.

The main determining factor will, as always, be the box office return of the first movie. Jurᴀssic World Rebirth is projected to yield more than $260 million worldwide by the end of its five-day opening weekend, which will include the 4th of July holiday in the United States.

With a budget of $180 million-$220 million, there is a good chance the movie is profitable even if it doesn’t match the billion-dollar box office highs of the original Jurᴀssic World trilogy. Per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Jurᴀssic World Rebirth will have a great return overseas of at least $130 million, which should bring it to at least the 2.5x number it needs to turn a legitimate profit in short order.

If the appeтιтe for more Jurᴀssic movies is still there, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Universal will press on with the franchise. Even if the next movie isn’t a direct sequel to Jurᴀssic World Rebirth with Gareth Edwards out, another stand-alone movie that plays off Rebirth could prove just as profitable.

Jurᴀssic World 5 Cast – Who Could Return?

Some Of Rebirth’s Survivors Don’t Make Sense For A Return

Despite the litany of ultra-dangerous mutant dinosaurs that the human characters of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth faced, the body count for the sci-fi adventure movie was relatively low. Zora Bennett, Dr. Henry Loomis, and Duncan Kincaid all survived the events that happened on Ile Saint Hubert, and could theoretically return as Loomis attempts to share the life-saving DNA with the world.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Delgado family wound up on the island accidentally, and while all three Delgados and comic relief specialist Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono) survived, it seems unlikely that they will make a return in a sequel. There is simply no narrative reason for them to continue in the franchise after spending the entire movie trying to escape dinosaurs.

Jurᴀssic World 5 Story – What Rebirth Sets Up

It All Comes Down To What Happens With The Captured DNA

The only major thread that leads into a sequel relates to the DNA that Bennett, Loomis, and Kincaid managed to make it off the island with. While Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) wanted to use it to create a life-saving heart disease drug that his pharmaceutical could control, the survivors intend to share the DNA with the world and save lives without racking up astronomical profits.

The island full of mutant/gargantuan dinosaurs is still perfectly intact, as the only major dinosaur death was a gunned-down Mutadon. There are plenty of convoluted reasons that new characters could find to go back to the island, making a The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park-esque sequel to Jurᴀssic World Rebirth perfectly possible.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline