With May almost over, we now find ourselves firmly entrenched in summer blockbuster season. Movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 have already done considerable work at the box office, and we're less than a month away from Universal's debut of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The marketing campaign for the film has been underway for months, and it looks like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's marketing budget is one of the biggest in recent memory. Large marketing campaigns are usually the norm for Hollywood blockbusters, but in the case of the latest dino-oriented film, the numbers are even more incredible.
True to the massive nature of the movie, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is utilizing an enormous marketing campaign. In total, Deadline reports that the entire media campaign will double the cost of the first film's marketing campaign and cost Universal roughly $185 million. For the sake of context, this is more expensive than Avengers: Infinity War ($150 million), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($140 million), or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($80 million).
One specific area that Universal has invested quite a bit of money in is partnerships and tie-in products. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has seen a broad range of tie-in consumer goods announced in recent weeks, with products like Doritos, JEEP, Dr. Pepper, and many others incorporating the dinosaur theme to get the word out about the film.
Of course, it is certainly worth remembering Universal has plenty of reasons to have faith in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's ability to make some serious cash to help offset the cost of the marketing. The original Jurassic World proved itself as a record-breaking hit when it debuted back in 2015, and the sequel generated quite a bit of buzz by enlisting indie director J.A. Bayona, who made a name for himself with 2016's A Monster Calls. Moreover, early screenings of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom have generated some serious buzz, so it's not entirely difficult to imagine this will resonate with audiences in a similar way.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will pick up three years after the events of Jurassic World. The story will focus on Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) as they venture back to Isla Nublar to rescue the dinosaurs when a massive volcanic eruption threatens all of the prehistoric life in the now-abandoned theme park. Thematically, it has been said that Fallen Kingdom will deal heavily in some darker ideas of animal rights violations, and the new film will directly call back to the original Jurassic Park franchise by bringing back Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm.
Following that massive marketing push, we will see the dinosaurs return to the big screen later this summer when Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom debuts on June 22, 2018. Only time will tell if the movie's massive marketing budget will be worth it, but if you are excited about the film, make sure to mark the release date down on your moviegoing calendars. While you're at it, take a look at our comprehensive 2018 movie premiere guide to see what other films are going to debut later this year.
