Box office: Jurassic World sets global record with S$689.5 million debut

LOS ANGELES — There’s a new king in town.

Jurassic World opened to a staggering US$511.8 million (S$689.5 million) worldwide, the highest global bow of all time. It marks the first time a film has ever grossed more than US$500 million in a single weekend.

The dinosaur thriller is the top-ranking film from sea to shining sea, after opening in first place in North America and across all 66 international territories where it debuted.

“Dinosaurs are fascinating to everyone,” said Nick Carpou, president of domestic distribution at Universal. “It’s cross-cultural.”

Domestically, Jurassic World scored the second-biggest debut in history with US$204.8 million, nipping at the heels of Marvel’s The Avengers US$207.4 million bow. Its international weekend estimate also takes runner-up position on the all-time charts. The US$307.2 million Jurassic World generated trails the US$314 million racked up by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Those international results were boosted by a mammoth US$100 million opening in China. Other openings of note include the United Kingdom and Ireland with US$29.6 million, Mexico with US$16.2 million, Korea with US$14.4 million, France with US$12.5 million, Australia with US$12.1 million and Germany with US$11 million. The only major territory remaining is Japan, where Jurassic World will roar on Aug 5.

In terms of premium formats, IMax put up a record-setting international weekend of US$23.5 million, and 3D screenings accounted for 50 per cent of the global bounty.

“People should call dinosaurs the original superheroes,” said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “They are just as big as Iron Man or Superman or Batman right now.” VARIETY.COM/ REUTERS