Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – “Jurassic World: Rebirth” — the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga — stomped the July 4th weekend competition at the North American box office, raking in a whopping $91.5 million in its debut, industry estimates showed Sunday. The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility for the original Jurassic Park theme park, where secrets — and genetically mutated dinosaurs — are lurking.
“This is an excellent opening for the 7th episode of an action-adventure monster series,” said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “The series has been especially good overseas and so far foreign business is outstanding. Dinosaur action is understood in all languages and across all cultures.”
“F1: The Movie,” the Apple and Warner Bros. flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, slipped to second place at $26.1 million, Exhibitor Relations said. “How to Train Your Dragon,” Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s live-action reboot of the popular 2010 film, held in third place at $11 million. The family-friendly film tells the story of a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) who strikes up a friendship with Toothless the dragon.
In fourth place was Disney/Pixar Animation’s latest original film “Elio,” at $5.7 million in the United States and Canada. “Elio” tells the story of a young boy who is mistaken by aliens as an intergalactic ambassador for Earth. The voice cast includes Oscar winner Zoe Saldana.
In fifth place was Columbia Pictures’ zombie sequel “28 Years Later,” which took in $4.6 million. The Danny Boyle-directed threequel picks up — as the title suggests — more than a generation after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus.
Rounding out the top 10 were: “M3GAN 2.0” ($3.8 million), “Lilo & Stitch” ($3.8 million), “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” ($2.7 million), “Materialists” ($1.3 million), and “Ballerina” ($725,000).
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