Rachel McArthur It has been a long time coming for fans of the franchise, so it is hardly surprising that “Jurassic World” has been dubbed the film of the summer, but will it live up to the hype? The film, which stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio and Irrfan Khan, goes on general release this weekend, and there are already big expectations. According to Variety.com, the fourth installment of the series is projected to take in $125 million across 4,273 theaters in the United States alone. Add worldwide sales of 66 international territories, and it is thought that the movie will have brought in more than $350 million in ticket sales by the end of June 15. “We're heading into the same territory where we were with ‘Avengers,' where things are getting out of control with the numbers,” Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, told the website. “It's not a matter of whether or not people are interested. It's how much they like it. Word-of-mouth will dictate how much it explodes.” Fan excitement Fans in the Middle East are certainly gearing up to watch it. Egyptian Nasry Esmat told Al Arabiya News: “I've been waiting for this movie since the summer of 2014. I've been a big fan of dinosaurs ever since I was a child, so you can imagine what the first sequel of this franchise did to me when I watched it when I was 12. “I still remember the first scene of a huge dinosaur on the screen… In those days, using that type of technology or graphics was very new, and it was a dream to see those creatures come to life. I hope this new one is good. I didn't like that the trailer revealed lots of details though.” Dubai resident Stacey Siebritz is hoping to catch references from the past films. “I'm massively excited to see Chris Pratt in his first big lead role since ‘Guardians of the Galaxy',” she said. “There's a massive amount of nostalgia, as it was one of the first films I remember being wowed by as a kid. That scene where the water shakes in the glass, for example. I hope they include lots of nods to the first film… maybe a cameo from the old cast?” Background Set 22 years after the events of “Jurassic Park,” Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, aptly titled “Jurassic World,” as originally envisioned by John Hammond (previously portrayed by Richard Attenborough prior to his death). Following 10 years of visitor numbers going down, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate a new attraction is created to re-spark interest. However, it backfires horribly. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, “Jurassic World” is Universal Studios' widest release of all time. Considering the endless production delays, the studio is no doubt banking on a good end result. The fourth installment was originally set to begin production in 2004 for a release in the summer of 2005, but went through 10 years of script revisions. The legendary Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, who shot the first two movies, is executive producer on this latest installment. Expectations Cinemas across the Gulf are positive that the film will do well, despite it being so close to the holy month of Ramadan. All three major chains — VOX, Novo and Reel — were selling tickets in advance prior to the film's release. Ashleigh Potts, corporate sales and marketing manager at VOX Cinemas, told Al Arabiya News: “We began selling tickets about three weeks prior to the release date, and offered customers who purchased tickets in advance the chance to go to the world premier of ‘Jurassic World.' Fans seem to be excited!” — Al Arabiya News
