‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Shows Its Dino Might With $150 Million Opening
In a 2018 box office that has been mostly defined by Disney, Universal has left a T-Rex-sized mark on the charts, as “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” has opened to a $150 million launch this weekend from 4,475 locations.
Not only is that just 28 percent down from the $208 million launch of “Jurassic World” — a lower drop-off than the 30-40 percent drop analysts were expecting — it gives “Fallen Kingdom” the second-highest opening weekend in Universal history. With a global total of $711.5 million, the film is well on its way to reaching $1 billion.
Also Read: 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Film Review: Dinos Return in a Sequel Drained of Suspense
Pre-weekend projections for “Fallen Kingdom” were always strong, never falling below $125 million. But some analysts who spoke to TheWrap thought that with the shorter gap between “Jurassic” films, the mediocre 50 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, and the presence of “Incredibles 2,” “Fallen Kingdom” wouldn’t have as easy a time bringing in audiences as previous “Jurassic” installments have.
However, none of these things have been a problem. After making just under $59 million on its opening day, “Fallen Kingdom” only fell 15 percent on Saturday with a $50 million result, a nearly identical Friday-to-Saturday drop to “Jurassic World.” And while critics were decidedly mixed on “Fallen Kingdom,” opening night crowds gave it an A- on CinemaScore.
Also Read: Disney Has Already Made $2 Billion at Domestic Box Office This Year
“Incredibles 2,” meanwhile, has lost a chunk of the audience that pushed it to an animation record $182.7 million, falling 56 percent to $80.9 million in its second weekend. Though many recent Pixar films, including previous record holder “Finding Dory,” kept their drop to 45-50 percent, a 56 percent drop is still fine for “Incredibles 2” considering that with its opening, this film is performing more like a Marvel movie than a Pixar movie.
With a 10-day total of $350 million, “Incredibles 2” already sits No. 4 on Pixar’s all-time domestic charts and is 22 percent ahead of where “Finding Dory” sat at this point in its theatrical run. That means “Incredibles 2” is on its way to becoming the top domestic animated film of all-time and only the 12th film ever to gross more than $500 million in North America.
Also Read: The Pixar Generation Just Helped 'Incredibles 2' Make Box Office History
In third place is Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s “Ocean’s 8,” which has hit the $100 million mark in its third weekend after making $11.6 million, a drop-off of just 39 percent. In fourth is New Line’s “Tag,” which dropped 45 percent in its second weekend to $8.2 million, bringing its 10-day total to $30.3 percent.
Completing the top five is “Deadpool 2,” which has made history in its sixth weekend by becoming only the fifth R-rated film to gross over $300 million domestically. The film has also crossed $700 million worldwide, topping the global total for last year’s R-rated hit, “It.”
Also Read: 'Deadpool 2' Crosses $300 Million - and Picks Up Baby Boomer Fans Too
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” falls out of the top five in its fifth weekend, making just $4 million. With a global total of $353 million, it has now been eclipsed by the 10-day domestic run of “Incredibles 2.”
“Fallen Kingdom” and “Incredibles 2” should continue to have the box office largely to themselves next weekend, as some studios have kept clear of the launch of “Ant-Man and the Wasp” in early July. Sony and Lionsgate will enter theaters respectively with the “Sicario” sequel “Day of the Soldado” and the basketball comedy “Uncle Drew.” Neither film is expected to open to more than $15 million.
Box office results are nearly double of what they were this same weekend a year ago. In fact, according to comScore charts, “Fallen Kingdom”‘s opening beat out the $141.9 million made by all films in last year’s post-Father’s Day weekend. The year-to-date pace also continues to gain ground, as domestic revenue is now 8.5 percent higher than this point last year.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Film Review: Dinos Return in a Sequel Drained of Suspense
Disney Has Already Made $2 Billion at Domestic Box Office This Year
Disney vs Comcast: Why the Bidding War for Fox Has Only Just Begun
