In 2025, the Jurassic franchise found itself at a crossroads—caught between blockbuster success and mounting fan frustration. The much-anticipated film Jurassic World Rebirth, directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, roared into cinemas as the seventh entry in the series. Despite a dazzling star-studded cast led by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend, the movie left a trail of controversy and disappointment in its wake, both for its creative choices and the ripple effects it triggered across entertainment and fandom.
On paper, Rebirth was a triumph. According to box office reports cited by Inside the Magic, the film grossed over $860 million worldwide, cementing Universal Pictures’ commercial might. But as critics and fans soon pointed out, financial success was no substitute for compelling storytelling. The movie, set five years after Jurassic World Dominion (2022), abandoned the thrilling global dinosaur chaos established in its predecessors. Instead, it corralled the surviving dinosaurs into a narrow equatorial belt, explaining away the sudden die-off by claiming the planet was no longer “hospitable” to them. This creative reset, as many observed, undid years of world-building and left the franchise feeling “exhausted, overstuffed, and creatively bankrupt.”
The implications of this narrative pivot extended far beyond the big screen. The global dinosaur concept had become central not just to the films, but to a sprawling universe of tie-in media. This included the Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, the Jurassic World Evolution video games, and the interactive website DinoTracker.com, which launched in 2022 to promote Dominion. DinoTracker offered fans “real-time” updates on dinosaur populations and locations, run “in-universe” by the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife. It was, as Jurassic Wiki notes, considered canonical by fans and creators alike.
But the release of Rebirth spelled the end for DinoTracker. On February 5, 2025—coinciding with the film’s first trailer—the site was updated to show error logs for all previously sighted dinosaurs, each marked with an “UNKNOWN” status and their last known coordinates. Shortly after the film’s summer release, Universal officially retired DinoTracker, redirecting users to the main JurassicWorld.com site. The abrupt move left fans bewildered. As Jurassic Wiki detailed, even iconic species like the Tyrannosaurus rex and Mosasaurus had their locations changed to “UNKNOWN,” with cryptic coordinates pointing to a new locale: Ile Saint-Hubert.
This mysterious island, introduced as a third InGen facility in Rebirth and located in Suriname, South America, had never previously appeared in the franchise’s canon. Unlike Isla Sorna’s introduction in The Lost World, which fit seamlessly into the established timeline, Ile Saint-Hubert’s sudden emergence created contradictions. In one scene, Johansson’s Zora Bennett suggests the island was a facility for the original Jurassic Park, while Rupert Friend’s Martin Krebs hints it was used for hybrid experiments tied to Jurassic World. The inconsistencies left fans and commentators questioning whether Rebirth was even canonical—a debate that Wikipedia’s own definition of “canon” only fueled. As Inside the Magic observed, “Rebirth is, of course, official, but many do not consider it to be canon, which means it is widely rejected.”
Beyond the screen, the franchise’s shifting fortunes made waves in related industries. In late December 2025, several licensed video games were announced for removal from digital storefronts starting in 2026. Limited Run Games confirmed it would pull the Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection, a beloved compilation for fans of the original films. Other franchises faced similar fates, with titles like Transformers: Battlegrounds, The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem, and Blaze and the Monster Machines: Axle City Racers also set for delisting. As reported by Russian gaming outlets, these removals were tied to expiring licensing agreements—a stark reminder of the impermanence of digital media and the challenges of maintaining legacy content as franchises evolve.
While the dinosaurs retreated from global dominance on screen and online, the franchise’s cultural footprint remained strong in other arenas. The year 2025 marked a landmark chapter for Indian digital star Ashish Chanchlani, whose journey intersected with Jurassic World Rebirth in a high-profile way. As chronicled by Indian entertainment news, Chanchlani was the only Indian invited to the U.S. premiere of the film, highlighting both his international influence and the franchise’s global reach. He seized the moment, interviewing stars like Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, and further cemented his reputation as a digital trailblazer. Chanchlani’s year was filled with milestones: a romantic music-video debut, the launch of his ambitious web series Ekaki, collaborations with Bollywood legends, and a viral hosting stint at S.S. Rajamouli’s Varanasi launch in Hyderabad. His appearance on Bigg Boss with Salman Khan, who praised him as the “Digital entertainment ke asli game changer,” underscored both his and the franchise’s enduring appeal.
Yet, not all stories from the Jurassic universe in 2025 were celebratory. On December 30, disappointment and distress greeted families at Jurassic World: The Experience at Battersea Power Station in London. As reported by the Evening Standard, children and parents—many holding discounted tickets purchased via Wowcher—were denied entry due to a booking system error that led to oversold time slots. Kate Stevens, who traveled from Canterbury to London with her 11-year-old son Jacob Harris (who has Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD), described the heartbreak: “He was very upset and he cried, that made me cry. It’s horrible – it’s Christmas.” Other families, including those with autistic children, faced similar distress, with one mother recounting her children’s meltdown and another visitor sharing that she had left home at 5 a.m. for the event. The organizers, Neon, apologized and offered alternative sessions or refunds, while Wowcher committed to contacting affected customers and issuing full refunds. But for many, the damage was done—what was meant to be a magical outing became a source of tears and frustration.
As the year closed, the Jurassic franchise stood at a peculiar juncture. Its latest film was a box office juggernaut but a creative letdown, resetting the canon and erasing years of world-building. Beloved digital experiences and games vanished from storefronts. Yet, the brand’s cultural resonance endured, from red carpets in Hollywood to viral moments in India and family outings in London—sometimes triumphant, sometimes bittersweet. The question that lingers for fans and creators alike: where does Jurassic go from here?
