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 "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" opened with $161.1 million at the
domestic weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It became the biggest November debut ever, as well as Lionsgate's
most lucrative opening.
The result fell short of some expectations and failed to dethrone
the year's biggest box-office opening, "Iron Man 3" with $174
million. But the film opened massively worldwide, taking in a total
of $307.7 million.
The marketplace largely ceded the weekend to "Catching Fire." The
only other new wide release was Disney's Vince Vaughn comedy
"Delivery Man," which sputtered to an $8.2 million opening.
The box-office performance for "Catching Fire" establishes "Hunger
Games," starring Jennifer Lawrence as the archer heroine of Suzanne
Collins' young adult series, as among the elite franchises in
movies. The budget nearly doubled from the original and Francis
Lawrence took over directing duties from Gary Ross. "Catching Fire"
received better reviews and drew a broader audience.
"When the first film was released, there was this idea that it was
going to appeal largely to young girls," said Paul Dergarabedian,
senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "But over time,
it's skewing back toward male audiences. There's actually a lot of
action, there's violence in the movie. It's crossing over to a much
broader base."
The domestic opening for "Catching Fire" is the fourth best ever,
following "The Avengers ($207 million), "Iron Man 3" and "Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" ($169 million).
Record keeping, though, has become more complicated in recent years
at the box office. Higher-priced 3-D or IMAX screenings can boost
revenue, as can early screenings. "Catching Fire," which earned 8
percent of its gross from IMAX showings, counted $25 million from
Thursday night screenings among its weekend total.
The original "Hunger Games" earned $152.5 million in its opening
weekend in March 2012, but didn't debut until midnight screenings
Thursday.
"It's really become a phenomenon," said David Spitz, head of
distribution for Lionsgate. "We've established now a better opening
than the first, and now we're entering into the Thanksgiving and
Christmas period, which is very, very lucrative."
After two weeks atop the box office, "Thor: The Dark World,"
released by Disney, slid to second with $14.1 million. After an
impressive opening, the romantic comedy "The Best Man Holiday" added
$12.5 million for a two-week total of $50.4 million.
Overseas, the critical and box-office hit "Gravity" from Warner
Bros. opened big in China. The Sandra Bullock space adventure added
$46.6 million to its international total in its eighth week of
release. Its cumulative haul is up to $577 million. ___
[to top of second column] |
 Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest
international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included.
Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," $161.1 million ($146.6 million
international). 2. "Thor: The Dark World," $14.1 million ($24.8
million international).
3. "The Best Man Holiday," $12.5 million.
4. "Delivery Man," $8.2 million ($1.2 million international).
5. "Free Birds," $5.3 million ($575,000 international).
6. "Last Vegas," $4.4 million ($2.4 million international).
7. "Bad Grandpa," $3.5 million ($2.4 million international).
8. "Gravity," $3.3 million ($46.6 million international).
9. "12 Years a Slave," $2.8 million.
10. "Dallas Buyers Club," $2.8 million.
___
Estimated weekend ticket sales Friday through Sunday at
international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films
distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," $146.6
million.
2. "Gravity," $46.6 million.
3. "Thor: The Dark World," $24.8 million.
4. "Fack Ju Gohte," $8.3 million.
5. "Captain Phillips," $6.8 million.
6. "The Counselor," $5.4 million.
7. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2," $5 million.
8. "Friends 2," $4 million.
(tie) "Me, Myself and Mum," $4 million.
10. "Sole A Catinelle," $3.2 million.
___
Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast
Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics
are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney,
Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned
by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are
owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time
Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including
Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is
owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC
Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
[Associated
Press; JAKE COYLE]
Follow AP Film Writer
Jake Coyle on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/jake_coyle.
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