Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to launch in China on June 15, one week before the US

Cast and crew expected to attend the mainland premiere

Dinosaurs just can’t seem to go extinct in the realm of Jurassic Park film series, the latest of which will debut in mainland China on June 15, one week ahead of North America, with the cast and crew expected to be in town for the China launch.

Dubbed “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” the fifth movie installment is directed by Juan Antonio García Bayona, with lead actors Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprising their roles. All three are predicted to come to China for the premiere, which we hope doesn’t turn out like what happened when the Avengers cast were in Shanghai.

“Fallen Kingdom” picks up where the previous “Jurassic World” ends, with Claire Dearing (Howard) trying to save the ancient reptiles after a volcano erupts on their fictional island home of Isla Nublar, formerly the site of the Jurassic World theme park. She enlists the help of dinosaur trainer Owen Grady (Pratt), and they successfully move the creatures to a sanctuary in America. But over there, the animals are auctioned off, and a hybrid dinosaur also escapes and causes terror.

The first “Jurassic World” came out in China in June 2015 and made ¥1.42 billion at the box office, turning it into the third most profitable movie in China that year. Producers Universal Studios are hoping for a similar scenario for “Fallen Kingdom,” with the June 15 launch timed for the Dragon Boat Festival holidays from June 16 to 18. But “Fallen Kingdom” faces competition from “Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War” and the upcoming “Monster Hunt 2,” one of which is predicted by Forbes to be China’s biggest hit of 2018.

Watch the extended trailer for China here: