Universal Pictures’ 2022 film Jurassic World: Dominion has officially dethroned Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the most expensive movie ever made, according to a report by Fortune. The film cost $658.8 million to produce, surpassing Disney’s 2015 film, which had held the record with a $638.9 million budget.

Production Challenges During the Pandemic

Filmed at the height of the pandemic in 2020, Dominion faced significant logistical hurdles — Universal had to implement costly safety protocols and maintain production readiness for months during filming delays. This meant continuing to pay for soundstages, leased equipment, and security personnel to safeguard sets and ensure production continuity; these measures added significantly to the overall budget.

According to reports. The production team also spent heavily on accommodations for the cast during a five-month period of downtime — the A-list cast was housed at the Langley Hotel in the U.K., where rooms cost over $600 a night. The hotel’s lavish amenities. Including a wood-panelled lounge where Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill performed jazz tunes during lockdown, did little to offset the financial strain.

Financial Breakdown and Rebates

Despite the high production costs. Universal received a $127.8 million tax rebate from the UK government, reducing the net budget to $531 million; the film grossed approximately $1 billion at the box office, meaning that the studio’s share of ticket sales effectively covered the production costs. Additional revenue from merchandise, streaming, and home video helped offset the financial burden further.

Financial statements for the film were filed in stages, with the most recent covering up to December 31, 2024, adding $74.9 million to the overall budget tally. These filings. Required by UK law to qualify for government incentives, revealed the true scale of the project’s costs.

Box Office and Legacy

While Dominion now holds the record for the most expensive film, The Force Awakens remains the top-grossing film at the box office, earning $2,071,310,218 worldwide. This means that Dominion, despite its higher budget, is still outpaced by Star Wars in terms of total revenue.

The film was the third in Universal’s Jurassic World series and the sixth in the overall Jurassic Park franchise. It brought together stars from both the original and newer series, including Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt from Jurassic World, and Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill from the original trilogy. The film was released in June 2022, a year later than originally planned due to pandemic-related delays.

According to Cinemascomics.com, the production costs were further inflated by the need for extensive logistical support during filming. The studio had to fund thousands of medical tests, strict isolation protocols, and months of halted filming, all of which contributed to the final budget.

Despite the challenges, the film was well-received and has been credited with helping to sustain the Jurassic World brand. However, Universal reportedly cut costs significantly for the next film, Jurassic World Rebirth, suggesting a more strategic approach to budgeting for future sequels.

According to GQ Germany, the next film in the series has not yet received a confirmed release date. The final chapter, which will conclude the saga started in 1993 with Jurassic Park, is expected to be released in June, but no specific year has been announced. A first trailer teased an action-packed finale, including a high-speed chase involving Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and a Velociraptor, and an aerial battle with a flying dinosaur.