National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2018
“The concept of people somehow existing in the age of dinosaurs (or dinosaurs somehow existing in the age of people) has been explored in film and on television numerous times. No treatment, however, has ever been done with more skill, flair or popcorn-chomping excitement than this 1993 blockbuster.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Studio
Amblin Entertainment · 127 min
Box office
$1.03B worldwide on a $63M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 3 wins, 3 nominationsSaturn Award — 2 winsHugo Award — 1 winKids' Choice Award — 1 winAll 7 wins · 3 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards: Best Sound
Saturn Award: Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Award: Best Director
Hugo Award: Best Dramatic Presentation
Kids' Choice Award: Favorite Movie
Scholarship
Named in the title of 12 peer-reviewed works
Examples
The Making of Jurassic Park — Medical Entomology and Zoology, 1993
Jurassic Park — Liverpool University Press eBooks, 2020
Jurassic Park (franchise) — Alphascript Publishing eBooks, 2011
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Jurassic Park arrived from Universal Pictures in the summer of 1993, directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted from Michael Crichton's novel. Built on groundbreaking computer animation paired with practical effects work, it redefined what a blockbuster could look like and became the highest grossing film of its time. Its success reshaped the industry's approach to visual effects and cemented Spielberg's place at the center of popular cinema for a new generation of moviegoers.
This cell preserves the opening title card, the frame that announces the film itself before any character or story enters. Such a piece marks the very first moment audiences encountered the picture, the threshold between darkness and story. Collectors prize title card cells for their symbolic weight, since they represent the film's identity distilled to text and design rather than performance. As a piece of 35mm history, it stands as the introduction point, the instant the Jurassic Park name was first presented on screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Jurassic Park (1993).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a neutral to very slightly warm tint; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading.
Projection history
Faint longitudinal lines are visible in the soundtrack area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames carry the same title-card logo artwork, indicating a title or leader sequence rather than consecutive action frames; the logo matches Jurassic Park (1993).
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, saturated Eastmancolor-style dye image, and clear safety base are all consistent with a 1990s theatrical release print of Jurassic Park (1993).
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063424
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
