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'Jurassic World': Why did it crush the box office record?

The newest 'Jurassic' movie is the fourth in the series and centers on a dinosaur theme park where a new attraction causes mayhem. It stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Dinosaurs have stormed the box office.

According to the , 鈥淛urassic World,鈥� the fourth and newest film in the series about dinosaurs returning to Earth, had the biggest global box office debut ever and had the second-highest box office opening domestically.

鈥淲orld鈥� stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as workers at a dinosaur theme park. The park is a success, but when scientists try to create a new attraction to wow visitors 鈥� the Indominus rex 鈥� things go awry.

To hear Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at media company Rentrak, tell it, the performance of 鈥淛urassic鈥� has already helped the summer box office enormously.聽

鈥淲e got the wind back in the summer sails," Dergarabedian told the AP, adding that upcoming movies like Pixar鈥檚 鈥淚nside Out鈥� and the new 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� film could keep the momentum going. "This gets the summer back on track.鈥�

So how did 鈥淛urassic鈥� do it? Reviews probably weren鈥檛 a big factor. 鈥淛urassic鈥� did not score high with critics 鈥� it currently holds a score of 59 out of 100 on the review aggregator website . Monitor film critic Peter Rainer gave the movie a B-, writing that 鈥渋n terms of its thrills and graphic design, it still looks聽like a low-to-mid-range Spielberg effort 鈥� [the] chemistry [between Pratt and Howard] 鈥� is聽something of a fizzle, and the two boys [who are Howard鈥檚 character鈥檚 nephews] are never sharply enough defined聽to make us care if they get gobbled or not ... action is satisfying, if not聽galvanizing.鈥�

But 鈥淛urassic鈥� appears to have successfully sold itself as an old-fashioned adventure film that鈥檚 good for all ages. According to the AP, 39 percent of the audience for the film were under 25, too young to have seen the original in theaters (unless they were brought as infants or toddlers). Even some critics who gave the movie bad reviews, like writer Scott Foundas, wrote that the movie is 鈥渇un for a while 鈥� [it鈥檚] an undeniably vigorous assault of jaw-chomping jolts and Spielbergian family bonding.鈥� writer Scott Mendelson noted that the movie is 鈥渁 general audience mega-blockbuster 鈥� Universal got the kids who love dinosaurs, kids of all ages who have discovered the first three films on DVD or VOD over the years, and then adults who grew up with the franchise and consider 'Jurassic Park' to be akin to their 'Star Wars' or 'Batman.'鈥澛�

Another of the movie鈥檚 strengths? Some critics who gave the movie an otherwise poor review praised the film鈥檚 star, Chris Pratt, who already showed he could be a charming action hero in last summer鈥檚 hit 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy.鈥� critic Joe Morgenstern called the film 鈥渓umbering鈥� but wrote that Pratt is 鈥渢he sole source of buoyancy.鈥�

Meanwhile, those behind 鈥淛urassic鈥� apparently knew a good thing when they saw it 鈥� Pratt told he鈥檚 on board for a sequel. If this weekend鈥檚 box office performance is any indication, one will be coming soon.