Universal City, Calif. — Universal Pictures' and Amblin Entertainment's Jurassic Park III earned $81.4 million in its first five days in 3434 theaters in the U.S. and Canada.  Its three-day weekend total was $50.8 million, with a per screen average of $14,785.00 for the weekend.

With this opening, Universal Pictures, which had been the first studio in box office history to open two consecutive films (The Mummy Returns, The Fast and the Furious) to more than $40 million, has topped itself with a third consecutive movie to exceed $40 million in domestic box office.   Also, Universal has the added distinction of having opened five movies in the past 12 months to more than $40 million (Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the three above).

In its first day at the domestic box office, Jurassic Park III took in $19.0 million, for the second biggest Wednesday opening in recorded history (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace opened with $28.5 million on a Wednesday in 1999).

Nikki Rocco, president, Universal Pictures distribution, said:  "It is incredibly gratifying for us to be partnering successfully once again with Amblin Entertainment, a company which has played such a significant role in this studio's history.  This opening is a clear indication that there has been a huge audience out there waiting for this third installment in the 'Jurassic Park' series, and that the franchise, which has been such a priority for this studio for the past eight years, is very much alive."

Mary Parent, president, Universal Pictures production said, "All of us are extremely grateful for the tireless efforts of our director Joe Johnston, executive producer Steven Spielberg, producers Kathy Kennedy and Larry Franco, screenwriters Peter Buchman and Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor and the entire cast and crew, all of whom did a brilliant job of infusing imagination and energy into Jurassic Park III."

Added Scott Stuber, president, Universal Pictures production, "We would not have been able to achieve this outstanding opening without the stellar work of our colleagues in production, distribution and marketing who, once again, outdid themselves in ensuring that the public would greet Jurassic Park III with open arms."

With dazzling dinosaur effects once again created by Industrial Light & Magic and Stan Winston Studios, Jurassic Park III continues the series that began with Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.  Directed by Johnston, produced by Kennedy and Franco, and executive produced by Spielberg, the film stars Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan and Michael Jeter.  The screenplay for Jurassic Park III was written by Peter Buchman and Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, based on characters created by Michael Crichton.

Anxious to fund research for his new theory of Velociraptor intelligence, renowned paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is persuaded by a wealthy adventurer (William H. Macy) and his wife (Tea Leoni) to accompany them on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna.  This infamous island, once InGen's site B, has become both a primordial breeding ground for John Hammond's magnificent creations and a magnet for thrill-seekers eager to encounter them.

When a tragic accident maroons the party of seven, Grant discovers the true reason his deceptive hosts have invited him along.  In their perilous attempt to escape with their lives, the dwindling group encounters terrifying new creatures undisclosed by InGen, and Grant is forced to learn the dreadful implications of his raptor intelligence theory firsthand.