'Jurassic World' tops box office for 2nd week with $60M
Chris Pratt appears in a scene with a young Velociraptor in "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom." Credit: Universal Pictures
LOS ANGELES — The “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” dinosaurs ruled the box office for a second weekend in a row, but also left a little room for more modest newcomers like “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and the basketball comedy “Uncle Drew” to over-perform in the crowded marketplace.
Studios on Sunday estimate that the blockbuster sequel to “Jurassic World” earned an additional $60 million in its second weekend in North American theaters, bringing its domestic total to $264.8 million. While its second weekend drop is about 10 percent steeper than that of the first film, worldwide, the film has grossed $932.4 million to date and is barreling toward the $1 billion mark.
The dinosaurs didn’t gobble up all the attention this weekend, however. “Incredibles 2,” now in its third weekend in theaters, took second place with $45.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $439.7 million.
North American audiences came out in larger-than-expected numbers for both the action thriller “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and “Uncle Drew.”
The “Sicario” sequel starring Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro earned $19 million to take third place. The film, distributed by Sony Pictures, cost a reported $35 to $40 million to produce.
Landing in fourth place was the basketball comedy “Uncle Drew,” which features NBA All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Shaquille O’Neal. With a production price tag under $20 million, the film exceeded expectations grossing $15.5 million and got audience stamp of approval with an A CinemaScore.
The ad and marketing campaign included spots during the NBA playoffs and finals, a Wheaties box featuring Irving as Uncle Drew, and an Uncle Drew capsule collection from Nike.
Lionsgate, which distributed the movie, knew the film had built-in marketability because of the celebrity of the stars, but was also pleased to discover that the film in early screenings appealed to non-basketball fans too.
“That was the surprise, that wow, we have a picture that really plays to a general audience,” said David Spitz, Lionsgate’s president of domestic distribution. “It has a really sweet message.”
The A CinemaScore, which suggests that the film will have good word-of-mouth buzz, could bode well for the film over the Fourth of July holiday and into the rest of the summer.
“We’re hoping it’s the old adage, ‘It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,”’ Spitz said.
