In an early scene in "Jurassic World," park executive Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) explains to potential sponsors of a terrifying new theme park attraction that "no one's impressed by a dinosaur anymore. Consumers want them bigger, louder, more teeth."
Under that credo, Claire could just as easily have been running a contemporary movie studio as a fictional theme park built on dinosaur DNA. "Jurassic World," from executive producer Steven Spielberg, both mocks and embodies the more-is-more philosophy driving the modern movie business, where lumbering, $200-million T. rex-sized franchise films dominate studio slates.
In a business sense, "Jurassic World" is the undeniable grandbaby of another movie with Spielberg's name on it at the box office this week — "Jaws," which Fathom Events is re-releasing in theaters for two days for its 40th anniversary as part of its "TCM Presents" series.