Universal has released “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” two weeks ahead of its U.S. release in 48 countries and has taken the No. 1 spot in all of them with $151.1 million grossed worldwide.
The fifth film in the “Jurassic” franchise was particularly a big hit in South Korea, where it has made $27.2 million and has set a new opening day record and a studio opening weekend record. Other top markets include the U.K. ($19.9 million), France ($10 million), Spain ($9.5 million), and Germany $9.1 million. All of these countries have teams that will be competing in the FIFA World Cup next weekend, and Universal has released the film there to give it a strong runway before the international soccer tournament kicks off.
“Jurassic World is a genre of one, and each film within this franchise is engineered as a global event,” said Duncan Clark, Universal’s President of International Distribution. “Audiences gravitate to the nostalgia, storytelling and spectacle, and from this outstanding foundation we are set for a lengthy international playout, with major markets–including China, Australia, Latin America and North America–yet to open.”
On IMAX screens, “Fallen Kingdom” made $8 million from 277 locations, and is expected to make much more when the sequel arrives in China on June 15. After that will come Australia and Brazil on June 21, and North America on June 22.
While “Fallen Kingdom” isn’t expected to match the then-summer record $1.67 billion the first “Jurassic World” made worldwide in 2015, the film is well on its way to becoming Universal’s next big billion dollar hit as they attempt to restore the “Jurassic” series to the tentpole franchise status it enjoyed in the 90s. In the U.S., “Fallen Kingdom” is projected for an opening of $130-140 million.