The first Jurassic Park movie was released on June 11, 1993. The film won more than twenty awards, including three Academy Awards for its technical achievements in visual effects and sound design. But did you know that the entire cast and crew filmed the movie when a hurricane hit?
Hurricane Iniki hit Hawaii when Steven Spielberg was filming Jurrasic Park. The sets were destroyed, and the entire cast and crew were stranded in a leaky hotel ballroom. To distract the kids, Spielberg played cards with them and told them stories. Actual footage of the hurricane was later added to the film.
The Wrath of Hurricane Iniki
Hurricane Iniki was known to be the most powerful hurricane to have ever hit Hawaii in recorded history. Iniki hit the islands of Kaua’i on September 11 with winds as fast as 145 miles per hour. It was identified as a Category 4 hurricane based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. (Source: Jurassic Park Fandom)
Jurassic Park Filming During the Hurricane
Among those in Kaua’i at the time were filmmaker Steven Speilberg and the cast and crew of the first Jurassic Park film. They were preparing for a final day of on-location shooting when Hurricane Iniki hit. They all safely stayed in a hotel’s ballroom during the time. Richard Attenborough managed to sleep right through the hurricane. When questioned, all he said was: Dear boy. I survived the blitz! (Source: Jurassic Park Fandom)
The Calm Before the Storm
Spielberg mentioned that he was totally surprised by the storm, he just switched on the news that morning, and it was just like a bad movie where the first shot of the news was a map of Hawaii being enveloped by a hurricane. In an interview with Matt Lauer in 2013, Sam Neill, one of the actors in the film, said he was standing on the beach with Laura Dern.
Laura asked me “Do you thing we’re gonna be alright, Sam?” to which I responded “I think we might die, Laura.” and she laughed.
Sam Neill
(Source: Jurassic Park Fandom)
During and After Iniki
Many of the props and sets that were created for the film were destroyed after Iniki. This included the set that led to the Power Shed. Luckily they were on the last day of filming, and it wasn’t a massive loss.
After the hurricane subsided, the cast and crew were rescued by helicopter pilot Fred Sorenson. The cast and crew then had I Survived Hurricane Iniki shirts. (Source: Jurassic Park Fandom)
How Well Did The First Jurassic Park Film Do?
Being the first of its kind, the Jurassic Park movie of 1993 did really well with over a billion dollars in revenue. The production set a budget of $63 million and was able to earn back the amount by the opening weekend.
The film generated so much interest in dinosaurs that paleontology classes had a massive increase in enrollees during the time of its release. The film eventually grew into a massive franchise. (Source: IMDB)