How Steven Spielberg Won His First Oscar Because of ‘Jurassic Park’
Steven Spielberg knows a thing or two or a thousand about movies. He has nearly 200 producer credits, has directed more than 55 movies, and earned three Academy Awards, per IMDb. Spielberg may have laughed at John Williams’ Jaws theme, but he tends to make smart career choices. When it came time to juggle two passion projects — Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List — he made perhaps the wisest decision of his career, and it led to Spielberg’s first Oscar win.
Spielberg chooses between ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Schindler’s List’
Steven Spielberg is a Hollywood power player now, capable of having a mouthy Megan Fox fired as well as dispensing insightful career advice, but things were slightly different in the early 1990s.
Spielberg had his next two projects lined up after the lackluster Hook in 1991, and both were dream projects. One was an action movie about dinosaurs brought back to life, and the other a historical film about the heroic actions of a World War II industrialist. Spielberg planned to work on Schindler’s List before Jurassic Park, but the studio had other ideas.
According to Mental Floss, Sid Scheinberg, the head of Universal Pictures at the time, would only OK Schindler’s List if Spielberg did Jurassic Park first. The director agreed, and it led to his first win at the Academy Awards.
Dinosaurs deliver a monster box office and Steven Spielberg’s first Oscar
Spielberg may have wanted to shoot Schindler’s List first, but flipping the order was a win-win for the director and the studio.
Both Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List hit theaters less than six months apart in 1993.
Jurassic Park’s June 11 U.S. release put it in line to make big bucks at the summer box office, and it did. It earned more than $404 million in the U.S., grossed nearly $1.1 billion worldwide, and remains among the 50 top-grossing movies ever, per Box Office Mojo.
Schindler’s List premiered with limited runs in late November and December 1993, and it made its widespread theatrical debut on Feb. 4, 1994. But because its release happened in 1993, that made it eligible for the 1994 Academy Awards.
And it won big.
It earned 12 nominations and won seven categories. John Williams picked up a for original score, and Schindler’s List won for best adapted screenplay and in several technical categories (best cinematography, best set direction, and best film editing). It also won for best picture while Spielberg won his first Oscar for best director.
If Spielberg had pushed for making Schindler’s List on his terms instead of shrewdly accepting Scheinberg’s request, Oscars history — and Spielberg’s directing career — might look quite different.
‘Schindler’s List’ remains one of his best movies
Spielberg’s Hollywood career dates to 1975’s Jaws and includes dozens of high-profile movies. Declaring one of them better than the rest is a subjective and futile exercise, but Schindler’s List is right near the top, at least in the eyes of critics.
Newsweek looked at the critics’ reviews, and three Spielberg hits are 98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, and Schindler’s List.
Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Catch Me If You Can, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Bridge of Spies, Minority Report, and Saving Private Ryan all scored 90% or better. Saving Private Ryan gave Spielberg his second Oscar for best director in 1999.
Spielberg’s net worth is quite impressive
A long career that includes directing several box office blockbusters has helped Spielberg make a fortune, but working behind the camera isn’t the only way he built his $6.13 billion net worth.
His Amblin Partners entertainment company produces several movies and TV shows, and it partners with Universal Pictures, Alibaba, and other distributors to get its product delivered around the world. The company includes DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Amblin Television among its businesses.
The Transformers series, the Jurassic Park sequels, and the upcoming Indiana Jones 5 are just a few movies on which Spielberg has producer credits.
