Update (6/15/15) – Actual opening weekend numbers for Jurassic World reported by Universal this morning are $208.8 million domestic and $315.3 million for international for a global total of $524.1 million.
Exceeding even the wildest of estimates, Universal’s long-awaited Jurassic World stomped into theaters worldwide where it proceeded to set a record for the biggest movie opening in history. The arrival of the latest chapter in the long-running Jurassic Park franchise also scored the second-biggest box office opening ever in North America and helped the overall box office surge 48% over last weekend’s totals.
After being extinct from movie screens for almost a decade and a half, dinosaurs once again ruled the multiplex. Opening on 4,273 screens Friday, Jurassic World earned a monstrous $204.6 million. Combined with the $307.2 million earned from 66 markets overseas, Jurassic World’s overall debut stands at a head-spinning $511.8 million. World’s estimated opening is just behind the $207 million debut for The Avengers in May of 2012. The domestic opening is also a record setter for a June release, decimating the $116 million captured by Man of Steel two summers ago.
The North American first day haul of $82.8 million -which includes $18.5 million from Thursday night shows- is the third best on record. Only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II’s $91 million and the $84 million for Avengers: Age of Ultron have opened higher. Premium-priced 3D and IMAX screens were also strong factors in setting the record bow. 3D venues accounted for 48% of the film’s domestic gross while IMAX and other large-format screens contributed $20.6 million.
Universal Pictures did a hell of a job in marketing Jurassic World, taking a near-extinct franchise and turning it into the event pic of the summer. The anticipation began late last year with trailers and television spots shown during key sporting events such as the SuperBowl, which played up the presence of star Chris Pratt, who was hot off of Guardians of the Galaxy. Showings of the first three Jurassic adventures on various NBC/Comcast-owned cable channels helped reconnect fans young and old with the series. The massive amounts of promotional tie-ins leading up to the film’s release didn’t hurt matters either.
Reviews were decent for the Colin Trevorrow directed installment, which didn’t quite match the ones for the original Park but were stronger than the second and third entries. The film scored a 70% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 59/100 score on Metacritic. Critical notices on a film like Jurassic World aren’t quite as vital to its success as what ticket buyers say. Judging by the “A” CinemaScore rating, it appears that people like what they are seeing. That feedback should help keep the film chugging along at the multiplexes for the foreseeable future.
Way back in second place but holding its own was Fox’s action comedy Spy with an estimated $16 million from 3,715 theaters. The Melissa McCarthy film was off only 45% from its opening numbers, a sign that word-of-mouth among ticket buyers has been on the solid side. With no direct competition until Ted 2 opens in two weeks, the R-rated Spy should continue to do solid business and possibly work its way to $95-100 million.
Warner’s San Andreas took a direct hit from the Raptors and fell 57% in its third weekend on 3,535 screens. Adding an estimated $11 million to the bank San Andreas has earned $119.3 million so far. A $140 million final domestic haul is possible for the Dwayne Johnson hit. In fourth place was the horror sequel Insidious Chapter 3 with $7.3 million from 3,014 screens. Off 68% -a drop within the norm for a horror sequel-, Insidious Chapter 3 has scared up $37.3 million and should be able to finish with $50 million.
Rounding out the top five was another Universal Pictures’ blockbuster, Pitch Perfect 2 with $6 million from 2,677 theaters. Off 21%, the Bellas have earned a great $170.6 million to date with a final haul of $185 million still in the cards.
Outside the top five:
- Entourage (Warner) $4.3 million (-58%); $26 million
- Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner) $4.1 million (-47%); $138.6 million
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (Disney) $3.6 million (-43%); $444.7 million
- Tomorrowland (Disney) $3.4 million (-52%); $83.6 million
- Love & Mercy (Lionsgate) $1.76 million (-17%); $4.7 million
Next weekend sees the arrival of Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out and in a more limited release, the acclaimed comedy Dope from Open Road Pictures. While Jurassic World will experience a steep drop in sales, it should still earn more than enough to comfortably stay at the top of the charts despite a strong debut from Inside Out.
