Summer box office is second biggest in history

The blockbuster season was tracking fifth in the all-time pantheon over the weekend but vaulted several places to rank behind only 2013’s $4.85bn record summer when Iron Man 3 held sway.

However, inflation and a quirk of the calendar that meant Labor Day fell almost a week later than in previous years inflated the numbers and the earnings period.

Attendance figures have not been made public yet but are understood to be tracking around 5% ahead of 2014.

Universal smash Jurassic World, one of several jewels in the crown for the record-breaking studio, grossed $647.5m and scored the biggest North American opening weekend of all time on $208.8m (it also broke the record for international and global debuts).

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age Of Ultron was the second biggest release of summer on $457.8m via Disney.

The Disney stable also distributed Pixar’s Inside Out, which ranks as the third biggest summer hit and has grossed $349.6m and counting.

Fittingly, Universal rounded out the top five with its Illumination Entertainment hit Minions on $329.7m and Pitch Perfect 2 finished on $183.8m.

Universal and Disney releases ate up 60% of market share according to reports.

Paramount-Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation prospered too, unlike stablemate Terminator: Genisys, which flopped alongside Fox’s Fantastic Four, Universal’s Ted 2, Warner Bros’ The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Disney’s Tomorrowland and Sony’s Pixels.