Summer 2026 Features A Bizarre Dinosaur Movie Showdown - And Jurassic Park Isn't Involved

A very bizarre box office showdown is coming our way this summer involving two very different dinosaur movies. Most peculiar of all? Neither of them have anything to do with the multi-billion-dollar "Jurassic Park"/"Jurassic World" franchise. Instead, get ready for "Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie" vs. "The End of Oak Street."

Paramount Pictures plans to release its dino-centric entry in the "Paw Patrol" franchise on August 14, 2026. That's the same date that Warner Bros. intends to unleash "The End of Oak Street, an original, high-concept sci-fi thriller that also centers around dinosaurs. So, again, we're getting a high-profile cinematic dino showdown featuring two radically different movies, neither of which are part of the most noteworthy dino movie property out there. Let them fight, as it were.

Last year's "Jurassic World Rebirth" introduced plenty of new dinosaurs to the long-running franchise, and it was a big commercial success. Indeed, that property has had an unofficial almost-monopoly on dinosaur movies for years. No longer, it seems.

"Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie" is precisely what it sounds like and sees the Paw Patrol pups crash landing on an uncharted tropical island filled with dinosaurs. It's an easy sell for its intended audience, aka young children and the parents who will take them to the theater to watch their favorite pups interacting with prehistoric creatures.

In comparison, "The End of Oak Street" looks like a "Cloverfield" movie featuring dinosaurs. It's an ambitious swing from Warner Bros. Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell ("It Follows"), the film explores what happens when a mysterious cosmic event transports the entirety of an otherwise ordinary suburban location known as Oak Street to a mysterious place that's filled with (spoiler alert) dinosaurs. Anne Hathaway ("The Devil Wears Prada") and Ewan McGregor ("Obi-Wan Kenobi") lead the cast.

As for which movie will come out on top? "Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie" undoubtedly has the edge here. Both "Paw Patrol: The Movie" ($144 million worldwide) and "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" ($205 million worldwide) were sneaky hits at the box office. Paramount also tends to make these films on the cheap, i.e. $30 million or less thus far. So, with "Paw Patrol" already being a globally popular franchise, adding dinosaurs could push the property to new financial heights.

Let's not forget that "Saw X" scored the best debut for the "Saw" franchise in well over a decade but still lost to "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" in 2023, with the movies opening to $18 million and $23 million, respectively. Kids' movies are about as sure as things get these days, and this property is bigger than some people may realize.

As for "The End of Oak Street," original sci-fi movies can be a tough sell to audiences. Adam Driver's "65" aimed to make dinosaurs scary again in 2023, but it fell well short of commercial expectations, taking in just $60 million worldwide on a $45 million budget. David Robert Mitchell and Warner Bros. have their work cut out for them, then, even with J.J. Abrams' good name attached. But if it works, this could be a sleeper hit, depending on how things shake out.

Either way, assuming both movies stick with their current release date, this is an undeniably strange match-up. It's not quite Barbenhemier, but it's fascinating nonetheless. Dinosaurs will rule the Earth in August, one way or the other.

Look for both "Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie" and "The End of Oak Street" in theaters on August 14, 2026.