Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jurassic World breaks box office record with highest-grossing debut of all-time

The Jurassic Park follow-up took a massive $512m over its opening weekend

Jess Denham
Tuesday 16 June 2015 09:51 BST
Comments
Jurassic World could beat Avatar to become the highest-grossing film of all-time
Jurassic World could beat Avatar to become the highest-grossing film of all-time (Universal)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jurassic World has stormed into the global record books to score the highest worldwide opening weekend in history.

Colin Trevorrow's much-hyped fourth movie in the franchise about a dinosaur theme park that goes terrifyingly awry when the Indominus Rex escapes, grossed a massive $511 million (£330m) over its first weekend of release, Rentrak reports.

Final Harry Potter instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 held the previous world record opening at $483.2m in 2011, making Jurassic World the first to open above the $500m mark.

Jurassic World took $204.6m in the US putting it just behind Marvel's The Avengers, which earned $207.4m in 2012, as the second-highest domestic opening ever.

The last Jurassic film came 14 years ago with Jurassic Park III - the threquel to Steven Spielberg's 1993 classic. Analysts had predicted a box office smash for Jurassic World given this long wait but estimations of a $125m opening have been far exceeded.

One possible reason for Jurassic World's success is likely its appeal for multiple generations - those aged under 25 today and those who were fans of the Nineties original.

The 3D format proved popular with 48 per cent of US audiences opting to don the glasses, while lead star Chris Pratt is a familiar face, having starred in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie last year.

Jurassic World dwarfed competitors, with Melissa McCarthy's Spy adding $16m and earthquake movie San Andreas $11m. No studio tried to rival Universal by releasing a new film, in what proved a wise move.

Universal will be celebrating the latest addition to their 2015 hits after winning big with Fifty Shades of Grey and Furious 7 earlier this year.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Will Jurassic World go on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, beating Avatar and Titanic? Watch this space.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in