There is no longer any doubt that 2015 will feature at least three $100 million openers. “Furious 7” took in $147.1 million in April, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” followed suit with $191.7 million a month later and, now, “Jurassic World” is ready to join the club after earning a fantastic $18.5 million from Thursday night previews.
Comparatively, the early tally is larger than the $15.8 million “Furious 7” earned on Thursday nights, but far behind the $27.6 million “Age of Ultron” earned. Last year, “Captain America: Winter Soldier” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1” found $10.2 million and $17 million respectively with their Thursday evening starts.
“World” is currently on track for what many expect to be a $130-140 million three-day total which puts it at the fringe of the all-time top 10. Produced for a reported $150 million, the long awaited sequel in the “Jurassic” franchise is expected to be Universal Studios' fourth blockbuster of the year after the aforementioned “Furious 7,” “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Pitch Perfect 2.”
Looking at the rest of the year's release schedule the only other potential $100 million plus openers appear to be “Minions,” “SPECTRE,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 2” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
There are no other new movies opening in wide release this weekend, but critically acclaimed Sundance flicks “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “The Wolfpack” will debut in limited release.
Look for box office updates all weekend on HitFix.
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