"Jurassic World" thundered into box office history Friday with a stunning $82.8 million rampage that has the 3D sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1993 dinosaur blockbuster on pace for a June-record $180 million opening weekend.
The monster first day was at least $50 million above analysts' projections and only two movies — 2011's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" with $91 million and the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" with $84 million last month — have ever had bigger opening days.
On its current pace, the dinosaur epic directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will reduce to rubble the standard for a June weekend debut, topping the June 2013 "Man of Steel" opening by more than $60 million.
Also Read: The Evolution of Chris Pratt: From 'Everwood' to 'Jurassic World' (Photos)
The dino-mite debut of the $150 million special-effects extravaganza "Jurassic World," which Spielberg executive produced, builds on a blockbuster year for Universal Pictures. By Sunday, the studio will have released four of 2015's top movies: "Furious 7," "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Pitch Perfect 2" and "Jurassic World."
The spectacular opening was the result of the dinosaur epic hitting the sweet spot in terms of its audience, which was 53 percent under the age of 25 and 47 percent over, according to Rentrak's PostTrack exit polling. Men made up 62 percent of the audience.
"Male audiences are clearly leading the charge," said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak's media analysts, "but the age split is nearly even for over-25 and under-25 audiences which shows that excitement for the movie for is based on both interest in the new movie, but also a nostalgia factor that is coming into play for older moviegoers who recall the fun of the original 1993 'Jurassic Park' film."
