Jurassic World: Dominion has spent a massive amount of money on testing its cast and crew for COVID-19. Jurassic World: Dominion is slated to be the third film in the Jurassic World series revival, and will pick up after the events of its 2018 predecessor. As Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ended with dinosaurs exiting the theme park into the outside world, Jurassic World: Dominion will see beloved characters grappling with the consequences.
While Dominion's filming was paused in March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, production has since resumed. Although the pandemic has permanently affected certain Jurassic World: Dominion filming plans, including scaled back production in Malta, the cast and crew reunited in the United Kingdom in July to continue shooting. However, the price of restarting production doesn't come cheap.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, health and safety procedures are costing up to $5 million on Jurassic World: Dominion. COVID-19 tests alone for Jurassic World: Dominion have cost nearly $3 million. When asked, producer Patrick Crowley states that the enormous amount is due to the large number of COVID-19 tests that need to be administered during shooting. Crowley says that not only are cast and crew tested three times a week, but hotel staff are as well; the total number of COVID-19 tests used by Jurassic World: Dominion amounts to around 27,000 thus far, with each costing around $100.
While such a high cost is enough to make anyone leery, Crowley says that Universal Studios "never blinked" and that everyone on set is doing all they can to ensure a mutual sense of safety. Aside from getting regularly tested for COVID-19, Crowley also cites social distancing and reinforcing proper mask-wearing tendencies as the new safety measures that the cast and crew of Jurassic World: Dominion have adapted. Despite the inevitable inconvenience of such guidelines, it's comforting to know that both Universal and the cast and crew of Jurassic World: Dominion are devoted to doing all they can to keep COVID-19 at an arm's length.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly presented a setback for Dominion back when it halted production in March, director Colin Trevorrow revealed that the crew used the time to work on enhancing the film's visual effects. Now, it seems the Jurassic World: Dominion family is once again banding together to overcome yet another hurdle of the pandemic. Despite the staggering $3 million price tag for COVID-19 tests, it seems Universal is fully on board and everyone on set is settling into this odd reality as well as they can. Above all, the resolute nature of everyone working on this project shows that after overcoming all this, wrangling dinosaurs will be a breeze.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
