‘Jurassic’ Sets Preview Record

Steven Spielberg’s super-ballyhooed “Jurassic Park,” which is expected to have one of the biggest opening weekends of all time, took in more than $3.1 million from Thursday night sneak previews at 1,412 theaters across the country, according to Friday morning estimates by the movie’s distributor, Universal Pictures.

That sets a record as the highest gross reported for previews the evening before a film’s opening day. TriStar Pictures’ 1991 sequel “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” held the previous record with $2.4 million in 1,390 theaters. However, that movie previewed the Tuesday before a five-day July 4 weekend.

A more direct comparison would be Warner Bros.’ 1989 release “Batman,” which sold $2.2-million worth of tickets on the Thursday before its opening in 1,246 cinemas. Its sequel, three years later, grossed $2 million in Thursday night previews at 1,263 theaters.