Actor Chris Pratt, who plays raptor trainer Owen in "Jurassic World", poses at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, June 6, 2015. The dinosaurs are bigger, the rides are scarier and there's a dashing new leading pair as the main attraction: "Jurassic World" is open for business again and hoping to entice a new generation used to getting more bang for its movie buck. The film, out in U.S. theaters on Friday, revives the classic sci-fi action franchise that began with Steven Spielberg making dinosaurs come to life in 1993's "Jurassic Park." Picture taken June 6, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)
Dinosaurs stomped to a box office record over the weekend as "Jurassic World" notched the biggest movie debut in history, with a global total of $524.1 million, Universal Pictures said on Monday.
"Jurassic World," which reboots the dormant "Jurassic Park" franchise nearly 15 years after the first trilogy ended, grossed $208.8 million at the North American box office, topping the $207.4 million record set by "Avengers" in 2012.
At the international box office, "Jurassic World" opened to $315.3 million, exceeding the previous $314 million record set by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in 2011.
"Jurassic World," starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, was made for $150 million by Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures. It adds a capitalist twist to a world where dinosaurs still roam among humans within an island theme park.
The film easily surpassed early projections for a $121 million opening, drawing both fans of the original trilogy and a new generation of moviegoers.
"Jurassic World" becomes yet another box office hit this year for Universal Pictures, following February's erotic "Fifty Shades of Grey," April's "Furious 7" action release and May's "Pitch Perfect 2."
The studio notched two more records this weekend, becoming the fastest to reach $1 billion within a calendar year at the North American box office and $3 billion worldwide.
Shares of Comcast were up 4 cents at $58.30 in afternoon trading.
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