Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom To Top Incredibles 2 At Box Office

Screen Rant

By Chris Agar

Published Jun 21, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is expected to to Incredibles 2 in what should be a monumental showdown at the domestic box office this weekend.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is expected to top Incredibles 2 at the U.S. box office this weekend. Back in 2015, director Colin Trevorrow brought the Jurassic franchise back with Jurassic World, a record-breaking smash that earned $1.6 billion worldwide. Of course, a sequel was inevitable, and Universal is now preparing to release Fallen Kingdom, the second installment of a planned trilogy, in theaters.

Whereas the first Jurassic World ran unopposed as its weekend's lone wide release, Fallen Kingdom won't have that luxury. The tentpole is going head-to-head against Pixar's Incredibles 2, which soared past projections and earned a whopping $182.6 million in its debut. In what should be a titanic showdown at the multiplex, the numbers are currently giving the edge to the dinosaurs.

Per Box Office Pro, Fallen Kingdom is projected to earn $129 million in its first three days. That's a significant decrease from its predecessor's opening haul of $208.8 million, but it's of little concern since Fallen Kingdom has already earned $449.4 million globally. Incredibles 2, while losing the top spot, is going to hold well, estimated to earn a strong $90 million during its second weekend.

Whenever a film shatters all-time box office marks, its followup rarely matches the figures, so Fallen Kingdom's predictions are nothing to be concerned about. As the worldwide grosses indicate, there's still much interest in the property, meaning Jurassic World 3 should still be a go for its 2021 premiere. Still, a case can be made there's room for improvement - at least from a creative perspective. Fallen Kingdom received mixed reviews from critics, a contrast from the first World's generally positive reception. The word-of-mouth could impact its commercial prospects in the States, seeing that Incredibles 2 was another Certified Fresh Pixar sensation. The animated superhero film's status as the four-quadrant blockbuster of the moment might undercut the demand for Jurassic World.

The rest of the top five is expected to be rounded out by heist film Ocean's 8, the comedy Tag, and superhero sequel Deadpool 2. With two blockbusters dueling it out at the top of the charts, these other three should post far more modest weekends by comparison. Fallen Kingdom is the weekend's lone major release, so the other studios are smartly avoiding this tough competition. There won't be another live-action tentpole coming out until the beginning of July, when Marvel debuts Ant-Man and the Wasp, meaning Jurassic and Incredibles should be able to pad their domestic totals for the remainder of June, before giving way to other franchise entries.