"The Lost World: Jurassic Park" released 1997

The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the sequel to Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park, hit theaters May 23, 1997.  It saw the return of Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm and Richard Attenborough as John Hammond. 

It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.  It held the record for biggest box office weekend opening until Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 2001.  It was the second top-selling movie of 1997 behind Titanic.  It held the record for single-day box office take until Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 1999.

"Dante's Peak" released 1997

Dante's Peak, starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, was released February 7, 1997.  The story is about a fictional, dormant volcano, Dante's Peak, Washington, showing signs of erupting.  The eruptions threaten the picturesque town of the same name. 

Brosnan is a US geologist sent to assess the volcano to determine if it is preparing to erupt.  Hamilton plays the mayor/coffee shop owner in town.

Dante's Peak didn't receive favorable reviews although it was better at the box office than Volcano, released a couple of months later.  Its visual effects were not nominated for an Academy Award because it had some stiff competition with Jurassic Park: The Lost World and Titanic, which won the award.