The countdown is on: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom hits UK cinemas five weeks today.

Yep, five weeks today. Get it marked in your diary!

The movie – the follow-up to 2015’s Jurassic World – arrives in UK cinemas on Wednesday June 6th, more than two weeks ahead of the US. Over in the States, the movie won’t open until Friday June 22nd.

Why is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opening in the UK early?

Earlier in the week, I posted news that the UK release date of Ant-Man and the Wasp had been pushed back to August (from July). The reason for the push back is to distance the movie’s release date from the arrival of the World Cup (June 14th – July 15th).

In the UK, the World Cup is an extremely popular sporting event and one which draws enough attention to effect cinema attendance. As a result, during the years when the World Cup is held, high profile movies are often shifted around the schedule in order to land either side of the event.

The World Cup is having an impact on the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – bringing the movie’s release date forward. So, while you might not be happy that we have to wait longer for Ant-Man and the Wasp, at least be happy that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will be with us that little bit sooner than our American cousins.