jurassic-world-breaks-box-office-record-beats-avengers

This weekend it seemed like there was only one box office record Jurassic World couldn’t break: the highest grossing opening weekend. However, it turns out dinosaurs trump superheroes in all respects, as final estimates (via Variety) now put Jurassic World’s domestic weekend total at $209 million, which trumps the $207.4 million record that The Avengers set in 2012. Thus, we have a new reigning box office champion.

The box office dominance of Jurassic World has been a sight to behold in and of itself. While the Jurassic Park IP was indeed strong, a month from release most pundits put the film’s opening weekend estimates at somewhere around $100 million—solid, though nothing astronomical. When it came time for the park’s gates to open, however, there were throngs of people waiting to get in, and audiences have skyrocketed the movie to insane levels.

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Image via Universal Pictures

Jurassic World is not only smashing records at home, but also abroad. The picture is the first in history to debut at over $500 million worldwide, as it raked in over $307 million internationally. The allure of dino-havoc clearly translates to everyone regardless of language.

Of course these numbers don’t take into account inflation, and the all-time box office chart looks much different if one does so, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Jurassic World’s box office performance is mighty impressive. The Colin Trevorrow-directed sequel has helped Universal Pictures hit two box office records itself, as the studio is the fastest in history to hit $1 billion domestically and $3 billion worldwide, aided by Fifty Shades of Grey, Pitch Perfect 2, and Furious 7.


So now the question is, how long will Jurassic World’s record last? The Avengers was the first movie in history to cross the $200 million mark in one weekend, which at that point seemed insane. But as ticket prices rise and studios use 3D to boost sales (50% of Jurassic World’s intake was from 3D showings), there seem to be more and more “records” broken every year.

Indeed, the “oldest” movie in the Top 5 highest grossing opening weekends of all time is 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Could next March’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice edge that one out of the Top 5, or even give Jurassic World a run for its money in the record holder department? Will the box office simply explode when Avengers: Infinity War is unveiled? The sky's the limit, it seems, and Spider-Man's then-incredible $114 million opening weekend record from 2002 has now been resigned to the fate of a quaint piece of movie trivia.

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Image via Universal Pictures