It probably comes as little surprise that a billion dollar film about a genetically engineered superdinosaur that escapes its enclosure and wreaks havoc on a theme park island would do exceptionally well when shovelled into the waiting hands of the masses, but now it’s been made official. Jurassic World has absolutely pulverized industry expectations by raking in over half a billion dollars on it’s opening weekend. That’s a record $511.8 million globally and $204.6 million in the States (which just scrapes just below The Avengers‘ domestic record of $207.4 million in 2012).

Could it be that the world is longing for a small dose of yesteryear? Or is it that the trailer previews for Jurassic World are just that damn good? I’m going to guess the latter. Around half the sale success is coming from 3D, IMAX, and premium viewing cinemas, meaning more than a typical people are opting for A-class visuals. Box office reports $44.1 million of global sales come from IMAX theaters—beating the Iron Man 3  record of $28.8 million.

Stars of Jurassic World include Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Vincent D’Onofrio. Only one actor from the original films remains – B.D. Wong, who will return to play geneticist Dr Henry Wu. I mean really guys, was Jeff Goldblum going to be that hard to get?

More on Jurassic World

Watch: The official global trailer for Jurassic World
Watch: Jurassic World teaser has dinosaurs, giant hampster balls
Sir Richard Attenborough to be immortalised in ‘Jurassic World’ set