The Hunger Games: Opening Weekend Predictions

[It's Not Rocket Surgery!]

For those who have been living under a rock, The Hunger Games opens on Friday.

What are your predictions for the opening weekend box office? My prediction is:

$148 million, 4th biggest opening ever (and best ever for a non-sequel)

Here is a list of the top box office weekend grosses ever (http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/). Amazingly, the best opening ever for a non-sequel is Alice In Wonderland! I would NOT have guessed that.

[jackdavinci]

Hunger Games seems to be bandied about as the next Twilight, both as novels and now as a film franchise. I haven't read it, but it seems marginally better written if only in concept. But how did it compare in sales in printed form?

[Lantern]

I admit I hadn't even heard of Hunger Games until earlier this month when I was browsing Intrade for political betting numbers. There is a contract (http://www.intrade.com/v4/markets/contract/?contractId=758191)on whether Hunger Games will gross more than 100m in its first weekend. It's currently running at 90% so it does look like it's going to be a smash hit which is very impressive for a film opening in March. It's also running at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes so it looks like a good film too.

[Justin_Bailey]

Hunger Games seems to be bandied about as the next Twilight, both as novels and now as a film franchise. I haven't read it, but it seems marginally better written if only in concept. But how did it compare in sales in printed form?

I'm having trouble finding exact numbers, but I'd say they were pretty close.

If I had to guess, I'd put the opening at $110 million, not one of the biggest ever, but still pretty damn huge.

[Baker]

I've read the first book and am waiting for the second from the library. I'm definitely not a tweener, but yesterday eveing I talked to a twelve year old who was reading(again) the whole trilogy. I asked if she planned on seeing the film and she said she was going to be at the opening midnight showing.

I think this film is going to be a smash. I haven't seen a movie at the theater in almost two years, but I think I will take this one in. It's going to be interesting to see how the screen version compares to the printed one.

[WordMan]

[Random note I keep thinking about mentioning in a Hunger Games thread]

I have met the author; she is very close friends with someone I work with. She and her family are incredibly low-key and down to earth; she *really* did not want to go to the movie premier and would just as soon hide during opening weekend. Oh, and her kids haven't read the books (or, at least, hadn't when I was talking with them).

[/Random note I keep thinking about mentioning in a Hunger Games thread]

[Onomatopoeia]

Ah, so this is a kids movie. Bummer. I've not read any of the books, and I haven't gone to the movies in a few years, but was considering going to see The Hunger Games when it comes out based on the positive buzz. However, I'd rather go to the dentist than to a movie theatre filled with tweens and teens.

[Lasciel]

[Random note I keep thinking about mentioning in a Hunger Games thread]

I have met the author; she is very close friends with someone I work with. She and her family are incredibly low-key and down to earth; she *really* did not want to go to the movie premier and would just as soon hide during opening weekend. Oh, and her kids haven't read the books (or, at least, hadn't when I was talking with them).

[/Random note I keep thinking about mentioning in a Hunger Games thread]

Are her kids young enough that it is too mature for them, or are they avoiding because it's something mom wrote?

Also, I've read a few of the very short interviews that have appeared, and she seems really flabbergasted that people are this interested and excited about her work, and even more surprised that it's being filmed. I find that really refreshing that she's honest about her expectations being much less expansive.

I really feel happy for her and her success - it's lovely when nice people (from what I can tell from the internet) are rewarded for good work.

[Lasciel]

Ah, so this is a kids movie. Bummer. I've not read any of the books, and I haven't gone to the movies in a few years, but was considering going to see The Hunger Games when it comes out based on the positive buzz. However, I'd rather go to the dentist than to a movie theatre filled with tweens and teens.

The first book is quite good, and pretty easy to pretend isn't YA. If the idea of tweeners in a theatre gives you hives, perhaps you can see it after a week or so, after the die-hards have all seen it, and perhaps when school is in session?

Or, you can always rent it afterwards.

(apologies for doubleposting)

[Mahaloth]

Hunger Games seems to be bandied about as the next Twilight, both as novels and now as a film franchise. I haven't read it, but it seems marginally better written if only in concept. But how did it compare in sales in printed form?

I have read both Twilight and Hunger Games(I taught 7th grade ELA for years). Twilight is total garbage. Hunger Games is quite good, a lot more than "marginally" better.

Let me put it this way. Twlight is just a bunch of super sappy crap that has been forced down our throats. Hunger Games is actually genuinely good.

Ah, so this is a kids movie.

I guess, if you consider the later Harry Potter movies kids movies, with all the murder, zombies, and horrific torture. Hunger Games is about teenagers spearing and savaging each other and is pretty graphic.


I have not seen the movie and have zero idea if it is any good, but I have high hopes. However, I do not see it being a gigantic blockbuster.

I'd say...$52 million? Perhaps I'm out of touch, but I just haven't caught the hype machine that would push it into the mega-blockbuster range.

[Ann Onimous]

My daughter and I devoured the trilogy last weekend. It was a series that I just could not put down, and I'm almost 48 years old. We also have tickets to the midnight showing this Friday.

Predictions? I have none, but I hope it does really well.

[Queen Tonya]

It's not opening here until next weekend. :(

[SaharaTea]

Ah, so this is a kids movie. Bummer. I've not read any of the books, and I haven't gone to the movies in a few years, but was considering going to see The Hunger Games when it comes out based on the positive buzz. However, I'd rather go to the dentist than to a movie theatre filled with tweens and teens.
There will be plenty of adults going to see it. I'm in my mid-30s and virtually everyone I know has read the books and liked them. These are YA books an adult needn't be ashamed of appreciating, unlike the Twilight series.

[sitchensis]

Until I saw the trailers this weekend I honestly thought The Hunger Games was an old, 1960’s science fiction book that Dopers loved but most everybody else didn’t care about.

If teen girls like it, I'll guess 135 million

[Mahaloth]

It's not opening here until next weekend. :(

I think it opens everywhere next weekend. Don't feel bad.

[WordMan]

Are her kids young enough that it is too mature for them, or are they avoiding because it's something mom wrote?

Also, I've read a few of the very short interviews that have appeared, and she seems really flabbergasted that people are this interested and excited about her work, and even more surprised that it's being filmed. I find that really refreshing that she's honest about her expectations being much less expansive.

I really feel happy for her and her success - it's lovely when nice people (from what I can tell from the internet) are rewarded for good work.

Kids are late high school/early college, so I assume they avoided it because mom wrote it or little interest in the genre...

[TheBoltEater]

Definite blockbuster, but a March opening makes me think that it won't be record-breaking. I'm gonna go with a mere..... $125 million. I only hope the good people at Lionsgate won't be too disappointed. ;)

[randwill]

If money spent on hype translates into ticket sales, this one should do fantastic, 'cause they've hyping the hell out of it.

[obfusciatrist]

Out of curiosity, where are they hyping it? Other than the trailer in front of a couple movies I don't think I've seen an ad for it yet.

I have no doubt that they're hyping it, but it seems to be outside of the media I consume.

[randwill]

Out of curiosity, where are they hyping it? Other than the trailer in front of a couple movies I don't think I've seen an ad for it yet.

I have no doubt that they're hyping it, but it seems to be outside of the media I consume.

Here's an article about it:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/03/can-hunger-games-survive-hype/50073/

[Bob Ducca]

It's not just tween girls, I know a lot of people, including my wife and I, in the 25-40 demo - and split evenly between genders - that loved the books and are anxious to see the film.

[Justin_Bailey]

Here's an article about it:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/03/can-hunger-games-survive-hype/50073/

Even after reading that I still think the hype for The Hunger Games is pretty low key. So a few fanboys wrote a few articles relating to the movie. You can't swing a dead cat on the Internet without reading someone's quirky take on a popular entertainment product.

[Grumman]

I enjoyed Battle Royale (the film), but I can't say I've heard anything about The Hunger Games that makes me want to watch it.

[Disheavel]

I read The Hunger Games early on in its wave and thought it was a charming story. But I am more than a bit surprised about their plans to film the second book. The third book is phenomenally badly done and the whole story seemed to have run out of steam (the focus on the cat which was only briefly mentioned in the first and not at all, that I recall, in the second demonstrated to me that the author had nowhere to go).

So my predictions- opening weekends:
Book 1: $75m
Book 2: $35m
Book 3: doesn't get made

This is still one movie more than the other recent t(w)een "hit" that everyone now forgets: "His Dark Materials".

[Hello Again]

Even after reading that I still think the hype for The Hunger Games is pretty low key. So a few fanboys wrote a few articles relating to the movie. You can't swing a dead cat on the Internet without reading someone's quirky take on a popular entertainment product.

When a book spends 100 consecutive weeks on the NYT bestsellers list, with 1 million paid Kindle downloads, the movie version pretty much sells itself.

I agree there hasn't been "hype" machine action, but that's because everyone already knows everything they need to know about it.

I don't remember a tone of "hype" for the first HP movie either.

[Steve MB]

Hunger Games seems to be bandied about as the next Twilight, both as novels and now as a film franchise. I haven't read it, but it seems marginally better written if only in concept. But how did it compare in sales in printed form?

Ooo, harsh!

[jackdavinci]

Ooo, harsh!

LOL it's not meant to be harsh. It's supposed to be equivocating. I've read about it but haven't read it.

[Mahaloth]

Even after reading that I still think the hype for The Hunger Games is pretty low key. So a few fanboys wrote a few articles relating to the movie. You can't swing a dead cat on the Internet without reading someone's quirky take on a popular entertainment product.

I agree, and I'm a supporter of the movie and books. I honestly think my earlier prediction will be closer to reality and I will be gladly surprised if I am way under. I work in a middle school and the hype is....well, kind of non-existent.

Or at best, low key.

[randwill]

Even after reading that I still think the hype for The Hunger Games is pretty low key. So a few fanboys wrote a few articles relating to the movie. You can't swing a dead cat on the Internet without reading someone's quirky take on a popular entertainment product.
I may be a little more invested in the media than most so I've seen the many magazine covers, newspaper articles and pieces on television shows and radio, as well as the ads on radio and television. I'm sure there are fanboy (or fangirl) written articles on the internet but I haven't sought those out.

[sitchensis]

I read the first book last night and I can’t say I’m overly impressed. It was a good read but it was definitely not written for a 30 year old man. I think it will make an entertaining movie but not a good movie. The book seems to be written as a series of short, potentially powerful scenes, with little continuity from one to the next. It jumps back and forth from high to low, exciting to boring, without ever really building to anything. It might be the perfect movie for short attention spans and memorable scenes, but I can’t see it being a great movie.

[Cartooniverse]

Why is everyone afraid to just up and admit that this is a not very subtle case of theft and get on with it? This was done, really well, in book form many years ago. So, go and read the original version. There's no cleverness or nobility in stealing someone else's ideas. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Walk).

Really. :rolleyes:

[obfusciatrist]

Other than "many children in, one child out" it doesn't really seem the same to me. If you're going to claim idea theft there are other better examples to point to.

[Gangster Octopus]

I am guessing similar to Twilight which grossed about $70 million. I am willing to up that since I think the timing is better for Hunger Games (March coming out of a movie drought vs. November), so I think right around $100 million.

[Mahaloth]

Why is everyone afraid to just up and admit that this is a not very subtle case of theft and get on with it? This was done, really well, in book form many years ago. So, go and read the original version. There's no cleverness or nobility in stealing someone else's ideas. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Walk).


Isn't the movie Battle Royale also about the same kind of topic?

[Hello Again]

Other than "many children in, one child out" it doesn't really seem the same to me. If you're going to claim idea theft there are other better examples to point to.

Suzanne Collins says she got the idea for the setup from Greek mythology, specifically Theseus and the Minotaur. In the legend 14 children, specifically half male and half female and specifically known as "tributes" are sent to Crete, where it turned out, they were devoured by the Minotaur. Then, Theseus took the place of one of the selected tributes in order to slay the Minotaur.

Cartooniverse -- Unless you think "competition to the death in a dytopic future" is an idea only one person can have, no, I don't see very many similarities at all to "The Long Walk." The stories are pretty different, including with respect to the relationship between the characters, the manner of the competition, and with regard to the participation of the public.

[Cartooniverse]

I'll readily admit that I've read "The Long Walk" a half-dozen times and have not read The Hunger Game" yet. I posted based on reviews, synopses etc. My apologies. I'll read it, then re-post.

[Justin_Bailey]

When a book spends 100 consecutive weeks on the NYT bestsellers list, with 1 million paid Kindle downloads, the movie version pretty much sells itself.

That's my point. "Traditional" hype is almost nonexistent for The Hunger Games. This thing is riding solely on hype from the books. Maybe it's time I bought some Lionsgate stock...

I may be a little more invested in the media than most so I've seen the many magazine covers, newspaper articles and pieces on television shows and radio, as well as the ads on radio and television. I'm sure there are fanboy (or fangirl) written articles on the internet but I haven't sought those out.

I'm not sure if a Jennifer Lawrence article in Redbook (or some other similar "mom" magazine) counts as hype for a tween movie.

[randwill]

That's my point. "Traditional" hype is almost nonexistent for The Hunger Games. This thing is riding solely on hype from the books. Maybe it's time I bought some Lionsgate stock...



I'm not sure if a Jennifer Lawrence article in Redbook (or some other similar "mom" magazine) counts as hype for a tween movie.
I haven't seen the Redbook article. If you haven't noticed the other magazine covers (featured on Entertainment Weekly TWICE) it's probably because you haven't been in a book store or grocery store in the last few months.

[Justin_Bailey]

I haven't seen the Redbook article. If you haven't noticed the other magazine covers (featured on Entertainment Weekly TWICE) it's probably because you haven't been in a book store or grocery store in the last few months.

I've seen them, but Jennifer Lawrence out of her Katniss makeup is more or less the poster child for "generic blonde actress." She's a good actress, don't get me wrong, but unless she's wearing a brunette wig the caption may as well say she's January Jones or another thin young blonde.

[Tangent]

I'm a high school teacher and many of my students are excited about this movie. I've seen LOTS of kids this year reading the book.

I've read it myself and enjoyed it for what it is. I'm on the third book now. I'll probably go see the movie in a couple of weeks.

[obfusciatrist]

Well, two movie guys I read who often disagree with other on just what kind of fluff movie they like both agree this one is a stinker.

[Justin_Bailey]

Well, two movie guys I read who often disagree with other on just what kind of fluff movie they like both agree this one is a stinker.

I think they're slightly outnumbered by the critics that like it.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunger_games/

[obfusciatrist]

I suspect it will come down quite a bit starting tomorrow as the big batches of reviews start coming in, until this morning it was at 100%, even among top critics. How far remains to be seen. Or maybe it will hold. I know quite a few people who have seen it (I didn't get to one of the promotional screenings) and so far the negatives are outpacing the positives. But they aren't exactly a representative cross sampling of society.

I hope it is good. While I'm not a big fan of the book, I do see the potential for a decent movie in it. But for now I just find it interesting that two guys who are often on opposite sides of movies like this both pretty much gave identical explanations for what they felt were the big flaws.

[The Man In Black]

Ah, so this is a kids movie. Bummer. I've not read any of the books, and I haven't gone to the movies in a few years, but was considering going to see The Hunger Games when it comes out based on the positive buzz. However, I'd rather go to the dentist than to a movie theatre filled with tweens and teens.

I can tell you the books are not "kids books". How they handled the movie will be another story that we will have to wait a few more days to find out.

[obfusciatrist]

The books are definitely kids books. If they were intended for adults they might have had some depth.

That said, they are not elementary school kids books (though I'd probably have read them in elementary school but then I read Clan of the Cave Bear in elementary school).

[The Man In Black]

I read the first book last night and I can’t say I’m overly impressed. It was a good read but it was definitely not written for a 30 year old man. I think it will make an entertaining movie but not a good movie. The book seems to be written as a series of short, potentially powerful scenes, with little continuity from one to the next. It jumps back and forth from high to low, exciting to boring, without ever really building to anything. It might be the perfect movie for short attention spans and memorable scenes, but I can’t see it being a great movie.

Well, I am a 29 year old man and I think the book is great. I loved the survival aspects of it. And also that it had a strong female lead who's strength wasn;t that she was physically strong, but had skill and mental toughness (I also love Hit Girl from Kick Ass).

I like Sci-Fi stuff, which the future setting gives just enough of. And living in PA, I have an interest in what life was like when coal ruled the land. And the post apocalyptic setting works well for that.

I also liked the writing style. I kept moving and stayed interesting.

I just hope the movie dosn;t focus on the romance aspect more than the books did. If they keep it at the same level as the books, I will be ok with it.

[The Man In Black]

The books are definitely kids books.

Then you will need to define "kid". Cause I think we are thinking of different age groups. I would say the books were written for 14 and up. When I head "kids books", I think of like 9-13 year olds.

[obfusciatrist]

I would say anything intended primarily for an audience of not adults are kids books. "Kids books" is a casual term, for me, that can then be broken down into the more formal category of childrens books and YA books.

[DCnDC]

I enjoyed Battle Royale (the film), but I can't say I've heard anything about The Hunger Games that makes me want to watch it.

Same. From what I gather, it's a toothless, sanitized rehash of BR. I prefer the fucked up Japanese version.

[Mahaloth]

Well, two movie guys I read who often disagree with other on just what kind of fluff movie they like both agree this one is a stinker.

Who?

[SCSimmons]

Even after reading that I still think the hype for The Hunger Games is pretty low key. So a few fanboys wrote a few articles relating to the movie. You can't swing a dead cat on the Internet without reading someone's quirky take on a popular entertainment product.
The NYT has an interesting article (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/business/media/how-hunger-games-built-up-must-see-fever.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1) about the marketing campaign for this movie. Their marketing budget was about 45 million dollars--less than half the typical budget for a would-be blockbuster. Their strategies have been ... unique.

Regarding the built-in audience due to the popularity of the book: one thing the article notes is how the movie marketing campaign has significantly helped the book sales. It's hard to say for sure how much--but 60% of the sales volume for the book have come since the beginning of the movie marketing campaign.

[obfusciatrist]

Jeff Wells and David Poland.

Neither one is a critic per se. But there among those I read with some interest on their opinions, though I regularly disagree with both.

[Bob Ducca]

When this movie was first green-lit it was intended to be done as a low-budget flick but then the books took off like crazy and the budget got amped up. Will be interesting to see if it suffered any growing pains from that change in the middle of the process.

[Justin_Bailey]

Fandango reports that the film has already sold out more than 2,000 showtimes this weekend, accounting for 92 percent of the site’s daily ticket sales.

The Hunger Games has now sold more advance tickets than any non-sequel ever, and it’s due to knock one or more of the Harry Potter or Twilight films from their perch on the Top 5 Advance Ticket-Sellers list by Thursday, officially entering the pantheon of those blockbuster franchises before its first chapter is even released.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games-has-already-sold-out-a-crazy-numb,71240/

Can I revise my guess and put it in the $140-$150 million range? This movie is going to be the biggest thing ever.

[Cartooniverse]

Bigger than Jaws ?

[JohnT]

Eh, what the hell, I'll go $200 million opening weekend (defined as from when the movie opens until the following Sunday evening, so if it opens on Thursday, I gets me an extra day.)

[TheBoltEater]

Box Office Mojo has their write-up..... Available Here (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3398&p=.htm)

...So, how high can The Hunger Games open? Industry tracking is showing incredibly high levels of interest across all ages and both genders, with the greatest interest obviously coming from younger women (though young men aren't really far behind). According to Fandango, it has sold out over 2,500 showtimes and currently ranks as the third-highest advanced ticket seller ever behind The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Those movies opened to $142.8 million and $169.2 million, respectively, and were both highly-anticipated sequels.

Based on the information available, The Hunger Games should open higher than 2010's Alice in Wonderland ($116.1 million), which will give it the top opening ever for a January-April release and also the best debut for a non-sequel. The big question is whether it can pass The Twilight Saga: New Moon's $142.8 million opening (best in the Twilight franchise)—while that is entirely possible, I'm going to play it a little safer with a forecast below $140 million.

The Hunger Games is also opening in at least two-thirds of the international marketplace, and should wind up scoring over $200 million worldwide (domestic plus foreign) this weekend.

[snip]

Weekend Forecast (March 23-25)
1. The Hunger Games - $135 million
2. 21 Jump Street - $23 million (-41%)
3. The Lorax - $12.7 million (-44%)
4. John Carter - $7.3 million (-46%)

Bar for Success
Based on the aggressive forecast inflation that's taken place in the past week (and I'm not exempt from this), if The Hunger Games makes less than $100 million this weekend it may be perceived as a disappointment. That would be unfair, though, since it's a non-sequel opening outside of the more traditionally lucrative Summer months. Realistically, The Hunger Games should be viewed as an unqualified success if it debuts to over $80 million, which is the plateau at which it indisputably sells more opening weekend tickets than the first Twilight movie.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Hunger Games seems to be bandied about as the next Twilight, both as novels and now as a film franchise. I haven't read it, but it seems marginally better written if only in concept. But how did it compare in sales in printed form?

Next Twilight? It's starting to look like the next Harry Potter, at least in terms of cultural impact and media prominence if not necessarily quite the same demographic target.

Is anyone else uncomfortable with the fact that dystopic themes have become so prevalent in juvenile fiction?

[Exapno Mapcase]

The NYT has an interesting article (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/business/media/how-hunger-games-built-up-must-see-fever.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1) about the marketing campaign for this movie.

For those who didn't click over, that Times article also answers how many books sold: 24,000,000 in the U.S..

For comparables, the Harry Potter series has sold around 150,000,000 in the U.S. and Twilight has sold 100,000,000 in very round numbers.

Neil Stephenson (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Dear-Science-Fiction-Writers-Stop-Being-So-Pessimistic.html) is also not happy with this dystopic trend, and not just for young adults.

[Mahaloth]

Box office Mojo's forecast is $135 million. I guess I really didn't realize the hype was so high. (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3398&p=.htm)

Weekend Forecast (March 23-25)
1. The Hunger Games - $135 million
2. 21 Jump Street - $23 million (-41%)
3. The Lorax - $12.7 million (-44%)
4. John Carter - $7.3 million (-46%)

[Red Barchetta]

For comparables, the Harry Potter series has sold around 150,000,000 in the U.S. and Twilight has sold 100,000,000 in very round numbers.

I don't know if those comparisons are fair. For Harry Potter, that's 7 books stretched over a period of what, 15 years? Which were no doubt helped by the success of the movie.

[gaffa]

I have met the author; she is very close friends with someone I work with. She and her family are incredibly low-key and down to earth; she *really* did not want to go to the movie premier and would just as soon hide during opening weekend. Oh, and her kids haven't read the books (or, at least, hadn't when I was talking with them).
I saw a feature about the opening on ABC's World News Now. Apparently she has no interest in doing TV interviews, but they had a bit of interview footage that Scholastic produced, and appeared to be a study guide about the book, to get kids thinking critically. In the footage she asked "What is your relationship to reality TV versus your relationship to the news?"

[Ann Onimous]

We just got back home 25 minutes ago from the midnight showing. The movie theatre we went to had five screens, and they were all packed. I am really glad I read the books before I went; our daughter and I had some great conversations about the stuff they changed or left out. I thought the movie was well done.

[Meatros]

I'm going to guess that it makes something like $153 million over this weekend. It's gearing up to be big.

I've read the books and I'm interested in seeing it, however if I was just going off of the ads, I'm not so sure I would. The ads (at least that I've seen) seem fairly bland and don't explain a lot.

[enalzi]

Fifth biggest opening day ever; biggest for a non-sequel (http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3400&p=.htm)

It's already made more money than John Carter has made domestically, for a third of the budget.
Ouch.

[randwill]

Fifth biggest opening day ever; biggest for a non-sequel (http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3400&p=.htm)

It's already made more money than John Carter has made domestically, for a third of the budget.
Ouch.
I read that Disney projects a $200 million loss on "John Carter".

[Exapno Mapcase]

'Hunger Games' Devours the Box Office With $155M (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/hunger-games-devours-box-office-155m-36517)
“The Hunger Games” beat even the most optimistic box-office expectations in its debut weekend, grossing an estimated $155 domestically million and setting several records.

Lionsgate’s movie opened bigger than any movie ever to open in the period between January and April. It is the biggest non-sequel opening ever and the third-biggest movie opening ever.

The only films to gross more than "The Hunger Games" in their opening weekend are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" and "The Dark Knight."

[Ichbin Dubist]

Is anyone else uncomfortable with the fact that dystopic themes have become so prevalent in juvenile fiction?

I loved this kind of stuff when I was in my early to mid-teens, although I don't think any of it was YA fiction (1984, Brave New World, Alas Babylon, The Sheep Look Up, et cetera). I think it resonates with the dramatic adolescent worldview on some level, and any kid with any level of sophistication is going to be disturbed and fascinated by what they read about world events. My daughter likes these books, but I haven't noticed that she's become excessively freaked out or gloomy abut the world. What is it that makes you uncomfortable, exactly? Juvenile movie and books are loaded with dead parents, but I don't see generations of kids freaked out that their parents are going to die.

[SCSimmons]

'Hunger Games' Devours the Box Office With $155M (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/hunger-games-devours-box-office-155m-36517)
Still just an estimate, as the Sunday box office numbers obviously aren't in yet. Still, it pulled in nearly $120M on Friday and Saturday; I can't help but wonder if their $36M estimate for Sunday box office isn't pessimistic ...

[DMark]

I read that Disney projects a $200 million loss on "John Carter".

Maybe they should re-title it "Hunger To Make Our Money Back Game" and re-release it in a few months.