Just a week ago, Hollywood insiders were bemoaning what had been a lackluster start to the important summer box office season.

Ticket sales were barely keeping up with last summer, which was one of the worst in recent memory.

Then came the dinosaurs, and Chris Pratt.

The latest in the series of Jurassic films opened in more than 4200 theaters and set a domestic box office record for its debut weekend, generating an estimated $209 million in ticket sales.

Worldwide, another record – the first film to earn half a billion dollars in its opening weekend.

Critics were lukewarm, at best, but movie goers didn't care.  The film had a very strong Sunday, even with competition from the NBA finals and the season finale of HBO's popular Game of Thrones.

Almost half of all sales came from premium priced showings of the film in 3D and Imax. And the movie courted a wide demographic.  Kids who weren't born when the first Jurassic film debuted flocked to the theaters, along with parents introducing their kids to T-Rex.

All in all, a very good weekend for the studio that released the film, Universal, and for its lead actor, Chris Pratt, who is now an undisputed star.