Now that Avengers: Infinity War has come and gone and Deadpool 2‘s hold on the crown is coming to an end, the box office forecasts for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom are beginning to trickle in, and it’s projected to score anywhere between $130M and $150M during its opening weekend in the States.
Per Deadline, the sequel’s total awareness, unaided, and definite interest are either higher or on par with the first film, which earned a staggering $1.67 billion back in 2015 – only Infinity War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Titanic and James Cameron’s Avatar have earned more at the global box office.
Remember, Colin Trevorrow’s franchise revival was projected to hit $110M-$140M in its domestic debut, only for Jurassic World to blow past all expectations on its journey to $208.8M. That figure was, for a very short period, the all-time record opening at the U.S. box office, so don’t be too surprised if and when Fallen Kingdom‘s numbers begin to climb over the coming weeks.
Besides, those fortunate few who were able to catch an early screening of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which sees Juan Antonio Bayona take over directing duties from Trevorrow, have deemed the Universal sequel to be, and we quote, “fucking incredible.”
Take that with a grain of salt, of course, as it’s often the case that hype and pre-release buzz can cloud judgement. Nevertheless, if there’s one takeaway from Deadline’s scoop, it’s that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is poised for a suitably monstrous opening at the U.S. box office next month, when the dino sequel will likely roar past $150M to become one of this year’s biggest debuts…so far.