Hit sequels dinomite at box office
Latest instalments of Jurassic World and The Incredibles have fans flocking to American movie theatres
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, a sequel in the popular film series about a dinosaur theme-park gone wrong, led the domestic box office for a second straight weekend, outdrawing two new releases.
The Universal Pictures movie collected US$60 million ($89m) in US and Canadian theatres, researcher ComScore estimated. Disney Pixar’s animated superhero feature The Incredibles 2 snagged US$45.5m in weekend receipts.
The Sony-distributed Sicario: Day of the Soldado, another sequel, placed third with US$19m, while Lionsgate Entertainment’s comedy Uncle Drew
took in US$15.5m for fourth place.
Summer box-office sales heading into the weekend were up about 18 per cent from last year’s dismal total, according to Box Office Mojo. As expected, Fallen Kingdom and Incredibles 2, two blockbuster hits, delivered more than US$100m in weekend revenue. Fallen Kingdom
was in line with a forecast of US$62m from Box Office Pro. The movie’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
global haul has already reached US$932m, according to ComScore. The movie picks up where the last movie ended, with dinosaurs rampaging through the fictional Isla Nublar. Chris Pratt reprises his role as the fearless Owen Grady, this time trying to save the dinosaurs from a volcano and trophy hunters.
Uncle Drew was expected to take in US$16m, according to analysts at Box Office Mojo. Directed by Charles Stone, the film features Milton “Lil Rel” Howery, best known for playing the scene-stealing TSA agent in Get Out.
He portrays a sneaker salesman who forms an amateur basketball team to beat his arch-rival in a legendary street ball tournament. Shaquille O’Neal and Tiffany Haddish co-star.
Critics were mostly favourable, with 60 per cent giving positive reviews, according to RottenTomatoes.com. It was forecast to collect US$17.3m by Box Office Mojo.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a new chapter in the story about a drug war across the US-Mexico border.
Josh Brolin returns as federal agent Matt Graver, with Benicio Del Toro reprising his role as Alejandro Gillick, an assassin for hire whose family was murdered by a local drug lord. Graver wants to abduct the kingpin’s daughter to trigger a gang war.
The movie cost US$35m to make, excluding marketing costs, and was projected to generate US$17.1m, according to Box Office Mojo. Reviews were mostly positive at 67 per cent, according to Rottentomatoes.com.