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Jurassic World: Dominion has hit the theatres, and JP merch is flying (velociraptor-style) off the shelves. It’s got us curious about how much it would cost to bring Jurassic Park to life, IRL. Is this a decent investment opportunity?
The jury’s out, or eaten, so you be the judge:
$331.2 million: Cost to buy Isla Nublar
At 14,080 acres, Isla Nublar – home to the original JP and, later, Jurassic World – is roughly half the size of Disney World, giving dinos plenty of room to stretch their legs and wings.
According to OfficialETA’s, “The Price of Paradise” tool, a similarly-sized private island off the coast of Costa Rica will run you $331.2 million. If you’re willing to downsize, the 800-acre “shovel-ready” Golfito Bay can be had for a bargain $17,500,000.
$1.2 billion: Construction costs
John Hammond (aka Richard Attenborough) spared no expense building the original JP. Neither did Jurassic World’s Simon Masrani (aka Irrfan Khan). The new InGen CEO spent an estimated $1.2 billion on concrete and materials alone to build his new-and-improved park — about what it cost Disney to complete Animal Kingdom.
$2 million (or more): Liability insurance
New Jersey’s fantastically dangerous Action Park is the stuff of legend. It got away without liability insurance. Gene Mulvihill, “The Walt Disney of New Jersey” figured it was cheaper to pay injury claims out of pocket — his own. That was the ’80s, and times have changed. In 2020, $100M-worth of coverage cost Six Flags $2 million in premiums. It’s safe to assume Jurassic Park’s payments would be higher, since the prior claims history is a determining factor for insurance premiums, and there are pretty hefty claims/eatings that date back to 1993.
$300+ million: Cost of dino food, annually
One area where you don’t want to scrimp. As one of the world’s largest zoos, the San Diego Zoo spent $281,273,000 in 2021 to feed and care for 12,000+ animals across 650+ species. The fictional Jurassic World only features 20 species of dinos (cloning isn’t cheap!), but we’re rounding up to be safe. A well-fed dino dines on fewer guests.
