The dinosaurs of Jurassic World devoured the big-screen competition at the weekend, on the way to racking up the biggest worldwide box-office opening weekend ever. The fourth film in the series, released 22 years after the original Jurassic Park and 14 years after the third film, earned a staggering US$511.8 million (Dh1.8bn) in its first four days. It also smashed several North American box-office records with a $204.6m take, according to estimates from the Rentrak media-measurement company. That made it the biggest domestic opening of the year so far and the second-highest of all time, close behind The Avengers which took $207.4 million in 2012 – with a chance it could surpass the Marvel superhero hit when the confirmed totals are announced. The figures far surpassed expectations for the opening weekend, which had predicted a $125 million opening. "This over-performed in a way that I've never seen," Rentrak's senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. "It broke the box-office sound barrier." – AP
Le Mans glory for actor Patrick Dempsey
Former Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey finally made the podium at the 24 Hours Le Mans endurance race, finishing second in the GTE Amateur category on Sunday. The 49-year-old American actor was one of three drivers in the Dempsey-Proton Porsche 911 RSR team that finished behind the winning Ferrari. He is a huge motorsport fan and was competing in Le Mans for the fourth time, but this was his first top-three finish. He has also competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race. "I think it's hard to put into words how much it means to be on the podium in Le Mans," he said. "It's an amazing accomplishment – you always dream about moments like this. I've worked really hard over the last three years to make this happen and I'm here. Vive la France!" – AP
Car Crash kills Black in America rapper
Rapper MC Supreme, best known for his 1990 single Black In America, has died in a car crash in Malibu. Los Angeles County coroner's officials said the 47-year-old, real name Dewayne Coleman, was killed on Saturday when a pick-up truck slammed into his parked car on the shoulder of the Pacific Coast Highway. Coleman was pronounced dead at the scene and a female passenger in his car was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries. Coleman released Black In America on the compilation album We're All In the Same Gang, which featured the hit anti-violence song that shares the album's name by the West Coast Rap All-Stars. Coleman's sister, Irene, said her brother was dedicated to working with young people and steering them away from gangs. The driver of the pickup was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving. – AP
McQueen in the spotlight at men’s fashion week
The Alexander McQueen label took centre-stage at London’s fashion week for men on Sunday with a collection that drew heavily on tattoo art and nautical themes. The designer’s spring/summer 2016 show at London Collections: Men showed off two-piece suits and pyjama-style outfits, includingnaval-style jackets. Models wore creations with “wrestler jacquard” prints, while there was plenty of royal blue on show alongside the tattoo-inspired collection, which featured anchors and compasses on the sleeves. Sharp suits have been vying with streetwear and top brands during this edition of London’s men’s fashion week, which opened on Friday. Officially known as London Collections: Men, it grew out of the larger womenswear event and is now in its seventh edition. There were shows by Tommy Hilfiger, Turnbull and Asser, Dunhill, House of Holland and Gieves and Hawkes on Sunday, while yesterday’s closing-day schedule included shows by Jimmy Choo, Paul Smith, Tom Ford, Burberry Prorsum and Xander Zhou. – AFP
YouTube announces service for video gamers
YouTube is set to launch a separate app and site specifically for fans of video games. The video-hosting giant made the announcement in the run-up to the huge Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry’s huge annual trade show, which begins today. Ryan Wyatt, YouTube’s global head of gaming content, unveiled YouTube Gaming on Friday at YouTube Space LA, one of the site’s production facilities. He said it will be a destination where users will be able find gaming videos, live streams and gaming personalities. “Despite the crazy usage that gaming drives on YouTube, we’ve never really built gamers the experience that they deserve,” he said. “That’s something that changes today.” The app and site, which is scheduled to debut this summer, will feature individual pages dedicated to more than 25,000 games. YouTube is also seeking to make it easier for users to broadcast live and competitive gaming, known as e-sports, by removing the need to schedule a broadcast and promoting live broadcasts. “YouTube Gaming is built from the ground up for gamers, by gamers,” said Wyatt. “No longer is gaming going to be lost in a sea of content. We’re unleashing a brand-new user experience that puts games front and centre. That includes live gaming as well.” The move by Google-owned YouTube takes aim at Twitch, the gaming-centric streaming video site acquired by Amazon last year for nearly $1billion. – AP
