[N. American Box Office] ‘Jurassic World’ continues to surpass expectations

NEW YORK - The dinosaurs still rule the box office.

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’’ surpassed expectations to open with $150 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canada theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. While that total didn’t approach the record-breaking $208.8 million debut of 2015’s “Jurassic World,’’ it proved the 25-year-old franchise still roars loudly among moviegoers.

It also gave Hollywood its first back-to-back $100 million-plus openings in a non-holiday period. After opening with $182.7 million last week, Pixar’s acclaimed sequel “Incredibles 2’’ slid 56 percent in its second week, with an $80.9 million haul.

The combined firepower of “Fallen Kingdom’’ and “Incredibles 2’’ fueled $280 million in total ticket sales, making it Hollywood’s fourth-biggest overall weekend ever, not accounting for inflation. Business was roughly double what it was the same June weekend last year, according to comScore.

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’’ has already tallied hundreds of millions in overseas ticket sales over the past two weeks. Its worldwide total already stands at $711.5 million.

The film, starring Chris Pratt and Dallas Bryce Howard, moves the action away from an isolated tropical island. In “Fallen Kingdom,’’ directed by J.A. Bayona, the dinosaurs are again threatened with extinction because of a soon-to-explode volcano. But they are trapped by a band of mercenaries, a plot intended to mirror real-life animal poaching.

After notching the biggest opening ever for an animated release last weekend, Brad Bird’s “Incredibles 2’’ held on strongly considering the family-film competition. Its global gross is now up to $485 million, including a $21.2 million debut in China, a Pixar best.

The female-fronted heist film “Ocean’s 8,’’ starring Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett, crossed $100 million domestically, with $11.7 million in its third week. Thanks to drive-in double-features with “Incredibles 2,’’ Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time’’ also cleared the $100 million milestone, a first for a black female director.

AP