Before publication, what fixed price did Crichton set for Jurassic Park film rights? The answer was $1.5 million.
Michael Crichton wanted to avoid the drawn-out bidding battle that had surrounded some of his earlier work. Rather than simply invite the highest offer, his representatives presented Jurassic Park at a fixed price and let interested studios compete on their creative packages. Four studios reportedly met that price.
Universal Pictures ultimately secured the rights, with Steven Spielberg attached to direct through Amblin Entertainment. Crichton also received an additional $500,000 to write a screenplay, a separate payment that is sometimes mistakenly folded into the rights price.
Another source of confusion is a contemporary report that mentioned a $2 million figure. That amount was associated with later reporting or a rumored valuation, while the commonly cited purchase price for the rights is $1.5 million. The deal helped move the project rapidly from an unpublished manuscript toward the 1993 film.