15 Most Highly-Anticipated Blockbuster Movies In History

Jurassic Park is a universally-beloved classic and one of the finest-ever examples of blockbuster filmmaking, so it was safe to say that audiences were on board for more dino-adventures back in 1997. The popularity of the first installment alone was enough to guarantee success for The Lost World, even if the movie itself couldn't hit quite the same heights.

As the sequel to what was the highest-grossing movie ever at the time, The Lost World: Jurassic Park came burdened with much higher expectations and increased pressure as a result. Few summer blockbusters have ever managed to capture the sense of wonder and excitement found in the original, so it was hardly surprising that even Steven Spielberg couldn't reach the impossibly high bar he had set for himself.

Thanks to the continued popularity of the original and a massive marketing blitz that ensured promotional materials for the movie were absolutely everywhere, The Lost World smashed the opening weekend record at the box office by taking in $72.1m, a record it would hold for over four years, and a number that would still make many modern-day blockbusters green with envy over two decades later.

Ultimately, once audiences discovered that it couldn't hold a candle to its predecessor in terms of quality it began to level out and failed to come anywhere close to matching the commercial success of the first movie, but make no mistake; The Lost World was the single most hyped blockbuster of 1997, the year a little movie called Titanic was also released.