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. Amazingly, the best opening ever for a non-sequel is Alice In Wonderland! I would NOT have guessed that.
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 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 contracton 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.
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.
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.
[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]
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
It’s not opening here until next weekend. 
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.
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
I think it opens everywhere next weekend. Don’t feel bad.
Kids are late high school/early college, so I assume they avoided it because mom wrote it or little interest in the genre…
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. 
If money spent on hype translates into ticket sales, this one should do fantastic, 'cause they’ve hyping the hell out of it.
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/