Universal Pictures got a head start on the World Cup this weekend by releasing the blockbuster dino-sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in 48 international markets, and the J.A. Bayona-directed sequel has got off to a healthy start box office-wise with $151.1 million.
The film topped the box office in all 48 territories, with South Korea delivering the biggest haul with $27.2 million, followed by the UK ($19.9 million), France ($10 million), Spain ($9.5 million) and Germany ($9.1 million).
“Jurassic World is a genre of one, and each film within this franchise is engineered as a global event,” said Universal’s president of international distribution Duncan Clark. “Audiences gravitate to the nostalgia, storytelling and spectacle.”
Fallen Kingdom will make its way to China on June 15th before opening on June 22nd in the States, where it is tracking a domestic debut of $150 million.
SEE ALSO: Read our reviews of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom here and here
It’s been four years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.
When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.
With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom sees J.A. Bayona directing a cast that includes franchise veterans Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong and Jeff Goldblum alongside newcomers Toby Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger), Rafe Spall (Black Mirror), Justice Smith (The Get Down), Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs), James Cromwell (The Young Pope), Daniella Pineda (The Detour) and Geraldine Chaplin (A Monster Calls).