Throwback Thursday

Twenty-three years ago today marks the world premiere of Jurassic Park in our nation’s capital. The movie, which cost $63 million to make, shattered all box office records at the time and gave us a newfound appreciation for prehistoric creatures. Who can forget the terrifying footfalls of the approaching Tyrannosaurus rex, which would become home theater demo fodder for years to come.

Following a $65 million marketing campaign, Jurassic Park grossed over $900 million worldwide in its original theatrical run to become the highest-grossing film at the time, a record held until the 1997 release of Titanic.

From The Wrap’s 2015 story commemorating the film’s anniversary:

The 1993 dinosaur blockbuster revolutionized the way movies were made, marketed and distributed with pioneering technology, concepts and strategies that are still employed today…

The velociraptor and other dinosaurs were created through a groundbreaking process that took more than a year, by combining computer-generated images created by George Lucas‘ Industry Light & Magic and life-sized animatronic models built by Stan Winston’s team. “A major gap has been crossed and things are never going to be the same,” Lucas said at the time, and he was right. CGI imagery has been a primary component of sci-fi, adventure and fantasy films ever since.

“I remember it scaring the hell out of me,” said Jeff Bock, Exhibitor Relations Co.’s senior media analyst. “The dinosaurs looked so real, and I recall seeing and hearing them breathe and getting the chills. It was a very visceral experience.” The unprecedented resonance, depth and clarity of the film’s audio was created by DTS, a company Spielberg invested in specifically for “Jurassic World.” The rib-rattling digital surround sound effects it created were unprecedented, and made many moviegoers aware for the first time just how much sound, and sound editing could mean to a movie.

1993 was a milestone year for director Steven Spielberg: Schindler’s List also hit theaters and became the third biggest film of the year behind Jurassic Park and The Sandlot.

CNN reports on the world premiere:

What’s your favorite Jurassic moment?