After an excellent opening day, The Hunger Games has scored a huge win at the box office by finishing the weekend with a whopping $155 million. That’s the third highest opening weekend ever and what makes it even more impressive is that the film wasn’t bolstered by 3D ticket sales.
Lionsgate now has a bonafide hit on their hands and The Hunger Games is set to become one of Hollywood’s largest franchises. The stunning box office take has also propelled director Gary Ross one step closer to the A-list and it will likely mean a boost in status for its stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.
Not only did the film do well financially, but critics and audiences are all raving about it. Most of the reviews are very positive and everyone I’ve talked to is completely in love with it, which means that people will likely be seeing it more than once.
The good thing is that The Hunger Games beat all the films in the horrid Twilight series and what’s even better is that it’s still early in the day. Though the $155 million total is likely what the film will end at, it’s possible that as the day goes on and more data is collected and confirmed, that total may be pushed higher.
Ahead of The Hunger Games is The Dark Knight Rises ($158 million) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($169 million). While it likely won’t catch up to the boy wizard, by tomorrow morning once the final numbers are confirmed, that $155 million may very well change into something equal to or higher than $158 million, which would put it at the second highest opening weekend of all time.
What I’m wondering now is, if The Hunger Games was able to pull off $155 million, what can we expect from upcoming blockbusters like The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises? Will any of those surpass the current pop culture phenomenon that is The Hunger Games?
In other box office news, a couple other movies were able to pull in respectable numbers as well, despite the dominance of The Hunger Games. 21 Jump Street took in $21.3 million, bringing it to a total of $71 million and The Lorax pulled in $13.1 million, upping it to $177 million. Meanwhile, John Carter is still suffering, pulling in a disappointing $5 million, now giving it a total of $62 million.
Check out the full box office report below.
1. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate) – $155 million
2. 21 Jump Street (Sony) – $21.3 million ($71 mil.)
3. The Lorax (Universal) – $13.1 million ($177 mil.)
4. John Carter (Disney) – $5 million ($62 mil.)
5. Act Of Valor (Relativity) – $2.1 million ($66 mil.)
6. Project X (WB) – $1.8 million ($52 mil.)
7. October Baby (Samuel Goldwyn) – $1.7 million ($2.5 mil.)
8. A Thousand Words (Paramount) – $1.7 million ($15 mil.)
9. Safe House (Universal) – $1.3 million ($122 mil.)
10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (WB) – $1.2 million ($97 mil.)