Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom roars to life with $150 million opening

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is taking a bite out of the box office.

In its opening weekend, the fifth installment in Universal Pictures’ blockbuster franchise about cloned dinosaurs running amok is on track to earn about $150 million in ticket sales from 4,475 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, claiming the No. 1 spot with ease.

That figure exceeds industry projections, which had it in the $130 million to $140 million range, and it marks Universal’s second-highest domestic debut ever (not adjusting for inflation), behind only the first Jurassic World, which bowed to $208.8 million in 2015. Fallen Kingdom is therefore coming in about 28 percent lower than its predecessor, a film that went on to earn $1.67 billion in global ticket sales.

Overseas, Fallen Kingdom will add about $106.7 million this weekend, bringing its international total to $561.5 million. The film started rolling out across the globe two weeks ago.

Directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible), Fallen Kingdom cost about $170 million to produce and finds returning stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard trying to rescue an island full of resurrected dinosaurs from an impending volcanic eruption. The cast also includes B.D. Wong, Jeff Goldblum, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda.

Critics’ reviews were decidedly mixed, though audiences gave Fallen Kingdom an A-minus CinemaScore, suggesting the film will have decent staying power.

INCREDIBLES 2
Disney/Pixar

Dropping down to second place this weekend is Disney and Pixar’s Incredibles 2, with an estimated $80.9 million. That represents a decline of 56 percent from last week’s record-setting debut and brings the sequel’s domestic total to $350.3 million after 10 days in theaters ($485.1 million worldwide).

Arriving 14 years after The Incredibles — which grossed $261.4 million in the U.S. and Canada over its entire run — Incredibles 2 picks up right where the first film left off, with the Parr family fighting to save the day and restore the public’s trust in superheroes. Reviews for have been almost unanimously positive, and audiences gave it an A-plus CinemaScore.

Rounding out the top five this weekend are Warner Bros’. female-led heist movie Ocean’s 8, with about $11.7 million; the same studio’s R-rated comedy Tag, with about $8.2 million; and Fox’s superhero sequel Deadpool 2, with about $5.3 million.

In limited release, Focus Features’ Mister Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? will break into the top 10 in its third weekend, with about $1.9 million.

According to ComScore, overall box office is up 8.5 percent year-to-date. Check out the June 22-24 figures below.

1. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — $150 million
2. Incredibles 2 — $80.9 million
3. Ocean’s 8 — $11.7 million
4. Tag — $8.2 million
5. Deadpool 2 — $5.3 million
6. Solo: A Star Wars Story — $4 million
7. Hereditary — $3.8 million
8. Superfly — $3.4 million
9. Avengers: Infinity War — $2.5 million
10. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? — $1.9 million

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