# The Hunger Games: Opening Weekend Predictions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114 "2012-03-18T05:03:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/41 "2012-03-21T04:37:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/42 "2012-03-21T04:42:20Z")
> [@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. I think they’re slightly outnumbered by the critics that like it. > **[The Hunger Games | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunger_games)** > > Discover reviews, ratings, and trailers for The Hunger Games on Rotten Tomatoes. Stay updated with critic and audience scores today! ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/43 "2012-03-21T04:58:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/44 "2012-03-21T05:27:36Z")
> [@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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/45 "2012-03-21T05:30:44Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/46 "2012-03-21T05:40:48Z")
> [@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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/47 "2012-03-21T05:43:31Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/48 "2012-03-21T12:07:02Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/49 "2012-03-21T12:58:45Z")
> [@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. Same. From what I gather, it’s a toothless, sanitized rehash of BR. I prefer the fucked up Japanese version. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/50 "2012-03-21T13:02:15Z")
> [@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. Who? ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/51 "2012-03-21T13:40:21Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/52 "2012-03-21T13:54:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/53 "2012-03-21T14:32:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/54 "2012-03-21T19:56:13Z")
[QUOTE=The AV Club] 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. [/QUOTE] > **[Home](https://www.avclub.com/)** > > The A.V. Club digs deep into film, TV, music, games, books and more. Can I revise my guess and put it in the $140-$150 million range? This movie is going to be the biggest thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/55 "2012-03-21T21:33:20Z")
Bigger than Jaws ? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/56 "2012-03-21T21:36:26Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/57 "2012-03-22T23:56:57Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/58 "2012-03-23T00:25:11Z")
> [@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? 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? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/59 "2012-03-23T00:53:02Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114/60 "2012-03-23T01:26:51Z")
[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%) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunger-games-opening-weekend-predictions/616114.md?page=4)