Chris Pratt’s recent online backlash could potentially jeopardize the box office of Jurassic World Dominion, but the movie’s current projections don’t indicate any chance of this denting his star wattage. Chris Pratt is the latest leading man to lose his online popularity due to a series of factors. Some social media users argued that he has lost his accessible everyman appeal due to fame, while other some former fans blame overexposure, as the actor has been attached to numerous high-profile projects at once.
Still, other Pratt detractors blame his dwindling online popularity on the actor’s perceived insensitivity towards ex-wife Anna Faris in social media posts, as well as off-color jokes Pratt made on the Parks & Recreation set during filming. Whatever the cause, there is clearly Chris Pratt backlash happening online, which leads to the question of whether or not this will cost the actor’s upcoming projects at the box office. The most obvious major blockbuster release where the effects of Pratt’s backlash could be seen in the upcoming Jurassic World Dominion.
However, judging by current projections, Pratt’s public popularity problems will not hurt Jurassic World Dominion’s box office. The sequel is projected to make between $165 and $205 million. Not only has Pratt’s online backlash not hurt his box office appeal so far, but Jurassic World Dominion is also the finale of a trilogy and the first chance to see Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill together again on-screen since 1993. As such, few viewers are likely to avoid the blockbuster solely for the sake of not watching a Chris Pratt movie. A better testing ground for his audience appeal would be Pratt’s show The Terminal List, an upcoming Amazon Prime series that relies much more on the actor’s starring role.
That Jack Carr adaptation is not part of an established franchise, unlike Jurassic World Dominion, and Pratt is the biggest star on the show’s cast list. As a result, The Terminal List’s performance with viewers could potentially tell a tale in terms of how much the online backlash has impacted Pratt’s appeal as a leading man. However, because Jurassic World Dominion reunites the cast of Jurassic Park, closes the new Jurassic World trilogy, and stars a slew of beloved screen veterans like Dern and Neill, even a concerted effort to boycott the movie over Pratt’s involvement (which doesn’t appear to exist online) wouldn’t hurt its bottom line.
After Jurassic World Dominion ends the new trilogy, another potential testing ground for Pratt’s audience appeal could be the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie. However, like Jurassic World, that franchise also has many non-Pratt-related ingredients contributing to its success, from Jams Gunn’s involvement to its MCU connection, to its starry supporting cast. Much like The Terminal List could be more indicative of Pratt’s blockbuster future than Jurassic World Dominion, a new Pratt-led franchise like Mario or Garfield could more indicative than a pre-existing property like Guardians of the Galaxy. Whatever the case for the actor’s future, though, in the present the backlash against Chris Pratt is almost certain to have no impact on Jurassic World Dominion's huge box-office impact.
