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‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Jaws’ Top Box Office Decades After First Release

Most tickets were raked in at drive-in cinemas, which have thrived during the pandemic.

Were the last 27 years all just a terrible dream? Nearly three decades on from its first release, Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park is back at the top of the U.S. box office. Not only that, its closest competitor was Spielberg’s other classic featuring a large and angry creature, Jaws, which took the second spot. Box-office numbers have been dramatically altered by the coronavirus pandemic—Jurassic Park reportedly played in 230 locations across the U.S. last week, most of which were drive-in cinemas that allow for social distancing. The drive-ins made up 160 of the top-grossing 201 U.S. venues. Jurassic Park took just over $517,000 over the weekend of June 19-21, with Jaws narrowly behind with $516,000 from 187 venues. The Guardian reports that ET the Extra Terrestrial and Raiders of the Lost Ark came in at Nos. 7 and 18 respectively.