This past weekend, Jurassic World surpassed the domestic box office record set by The Avengers in 2012, earning $204.8 million in U.S. theaters (topping the $207.4 million Marvel earned with its superhero blockbuster). If there were any questions as to whether or not Marvel might be upset or disappointed about that, studio president Kevin Feige dispelled such a notion with the following Tweet:
Congrats Mr. Spielberg @UniversalPics @Legendary @LeDoctor @colintrevorrow and especially @prattprattpratt pic.twitter.com/5DxlDM8pgK
— Kevin Feige (@Kevfeige) June 16, 2015
Really, there was no reason for Marvel to be upset. This is LeBron James tipping his cap to Steph Curry. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats.
Jurassic World‘s massive box office ($511.8 million worldwide) shows that audiences still yearn for huge, special effects-driven spectacles in their summer movies. There shouldn’t have been any doubt about that, but it’s been a somewhat lackluster season after Avengers: Age of Ultron set the bar high in early May. But Disney should be thrilled about Jurassic World’s numbers, anticipating what it means for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December, next year’s Captain America: Civil War, and subsequent sci-fi/fantasy/superhero blockbusters in development.
Also, Jurassic World star Chris Pratt is in the Marvel family, having played Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. Feige is happy for one of his guys. Pratt’s success can only help the GotG sequel, set for a May 5, 2017 release.
