Jurassic Park is one of the juggernauts in the world of science fiction. The first film featuring terrifying dinosaurs was released in 1993, and since then, the franchise has experienced significant growth. With Jurassic World’s fourth installment around the corner, it’s obvious fans must be wondering what the right order to watch the Jurassic Park movies is. Here, we have revealed the chronological and release date order to watch every film that connects to the main Jurassic Park and World film series.
How Many Jurassic Park Movies Are There?
There are six Jurassic Park & World movies so far, and the seventh one, ie. Jurassic World Rebirth is on the way. Additionally, the franchise has given us two short films: Battle at Big Rock and Jurassic World Dominion Prologue. While the first one is canon to the main storyline, the latter doesn’t have any major impact, so it can be skipped. Also, there are two animated films that can be skipped as well.
Jurassic Park Films in Chronological Order
It’s always a smart idea to watch the movies of any franchise in chronological order, as it helps you get acquainted with the story much more easily. So, here’s the chronological order of Jurassic Park movies:
1. Jurassic Park
2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
3. Jurassic Park 3
4. Jurassic World
5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
6. Battle at Big Rock (Short Film)
7. Jurassic World: Dominion
8. Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic Park
- Release Date: June 11, 1993
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards
- Running Time: 127 minutes
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park laid the foundation of the franchise that has become one of the highest-grossing and fan-favorite IPs of all time. The film features John Hammond, who creates a park of genetically engineered dinosaurs. When one of the dinosaurs kills a park worker, Hammond calls in experts to assess whether everything is under control. However, things start going south after a power failure sets deadly creatures loose, threatening humanity.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- Release Date: May 23, 1997
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Arliss Howard
- Running Time: 129 minutes
Taking place four years after the first film, The Lost World is mainly set on the island of Isla Sorna, which is 88 miles away from Isla Nublar, the previous home of the genetically engineered dinosaurs. It is also known as Site B, where a batch of Hammond’s scientists cloned the creatures.
In this film, Hammond’s nephew, Peter Ludlow, takes center stage. He, along with a mercenary, arrives on the island to capture some of the dinosaurs and take them to San Diego in a new Jurassic Park. On the other hand, Dr. Ian Malcolm arrives on the site with his team to study these creatures. When things start taking a drastic turn with the dinosaurs attacking both teams, Ian and Ludlow must come together to prevent the calamity and return home safely.
Jurassic Park 3
- Release Date: July 18, 2001
- Director: Joe Johnston
- Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter
- Running Time: 92 minutes
The final film of the Jurassic Park trilogy sees Joe Johnston replacing Steven Spielberg as the director. Paleontologist Alan Grant aims to prove that dinosaurs were an intelligent species. However, he needs funds to conduct the research.
Soon, a wealthy couple, Amanda and Paul Kirby, approach him and show interest in funding the project in exchange for a tour of Isla Sorna. However, it wasn’t until their arrival at the island that Alan came to know about the real identity of the Kirbys and the reason behind their desperation to explore an island full of dinosaurs.
Jurassic World
- Release Date: June 12, 2015
- Director: Colin Trevorrow
- Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, Irrfan Khan
- Running Time: 124 minutes
Fourteen years after the release of the Jurassic Park film, Jurassic World arrived with its first movie featuring a star-studded cast. The film was made with a budget of $150–215 million, and it ended up earning $1.671 billion, surpassing the box office collection of the original films.
Simon Masrani is the CEO of the company that bought InGen’s assets after the disaster that occurred on Isla Nublar. He has created his own dinosaur-themed park, called Jurassic World, and hired Owen Grady, a Navy veteran, as the park’s lead dinosaur handler. Like the original films, one day, a dinosaur escapes from its cage, causing havoc on the island.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
- Release Date: June 6, 2018
- Director: J. A. Bayona
- Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, BD Wong, Jeff Goldblum
- Running Time: 128 minutes
Following the Jurassic World disaster, Fallen Kingdom brings back Owen and Claire in action. A volcano on Isla Nublar is active, and the dinosaurs are on the verge of going extinct, so the lead duo must do whatever it takes to save them.
Now, what makes the film especially interesting is that a prominent figure from the original film trilogy reprises his role in the Fallen Kingdom. Yes, it’s none other than Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm.
Battle at Big Rock (Short Film)
- Release Date: September 15, 2019
- Director: Colin Trevorrow
- Starring: André Holland, Natalie Martinez, Melody Hurd, Pierson Salvador, Chris Finlayson, Noah Cole, Ethan Cole
- Running Time: 8 minutes
Battle at Big Rock is the first short film in the franchise that is canon to the main storyline. The events of the film take place one year after the ones in Fallen Kingdom. It revolves around a family that goes camping at Big Rock National Park, which is not that far from the location of the Fallen Kingdom. However, their family moment transforms into a nightmare when dinosaurs attack their RV. Well, this is technically the first time when dinosaurs and humans confront each other on equal footing.
Jurassic World: Dominion
- Release Date: June 10, 2022
- Director: Colin Trevorrow
- Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, BD Wong, Omar Sy
- Running Time: 147 minutes
Jurassic Park: Dominion takes place four years after Fallen Kingdom and sees a totally different world from what we have seen in the previous installments. Dinosaurs and humans co-exist on the same land, but humanity once again is threatened, and this time it’s Dr. Lewis Dodgson. He wants to sell dinosaurs on the black market for his selfish desires. So, Owen and Claire team up with the legendary trio from the original films, ie. Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Alan Grant, and Ian Malcolm to fight the genius villain.
Jurassic World Rebirth
- Release Date: July 2, 2025
- Director: Gareth Edwards
- Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey
- Running Time: 133 minutes
Jurassic World: Rebirth is a standalone sequel to Dominion and the upcoming film, introducing fresh faces to the central roles. Following the events of the previous film, humans have become greatly merciless towards dinosaurs or any other prehistoric species. So, these creatures have found their place in some remote islands. When a team of experts decides to travel there to bring their biomaterials, these species turn aggressive, posing a threat to them. The film will arrive in the global theatres on July 2, 2025.
Jurassic Park Movies in Release Date Order
The franchise doesn’t have a distinguished release date or chronological order. However, if you still want to learn about the release order of Jurassic Park films, here you go:
1. Jurassic Park- June 11, 1993
2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park- May 23, 1997
3. Jurassic Park 3- July 18, 2001
4. Jurassic World- June 12, 2015
5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom- June 6, 2018
6. Battle at Big Rock (Short Film)- September 15, 2019
7. Jurassic World: Dominion- June 10, 2022
8. Jurassic World Rebirth- July 2, 2025
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