The Hunger Games - Strong Box Office Opening

[shipperx]

From EW.com:

Well, that’s one way to make an impression. The Hunger Games surpassed the wildest industry expectations to debut to $155 million, according to studio estimates.

That’s the third-biggest opening weekend ever, behind only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 ($169.2 million) and The Dark Knight ($158.4 million). It’s also the best debut ever for a non-sequel, crushing 2010′s Alice in Wonderland ($116.1 million), and it represents the top opening weekend for any picture outside the summer movie season. And, yes, it must be mentioned — The Hunger Games opened stronger than all four Twilight films.

The Hunger Games was front-loaded this weekend, but not to the same extent as a Twilight or recent Harry Potter movie. The sci-fi action film, about a dystopian society that forces 24 kids to battle to the death, opened to an estimated $68 million on Friday — the fifth-best opening day ever. It then dropped 25 percent on Saturday for $51 million. A Friday-to-Saturday decline of 25 percent may sound like a lot, but consider that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 fell 53 percent, while The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 dipped 44 percent. While Potter and Twilight may have more ravenous fans who are willing to rush out and see a movie as early as possible, The Hunger Games seems to be compensating by reaching a broad general audience.

The film’s demographic info confirms as much. According to Lionsgate, The Hunger Games attracted an audience that was 61 percent female. By comparison, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 drew a crowd that was 80 percent female. Also, The Hunger Games was fairly evenly split by age, with 56 percent at least 25 years old and 44 percent less than 25 years old. However, the younger moviegoers were slightly more enthusiastic. Although the film received an overall “A” grade from CinemaScore participants, those under the age of 25 rated it an “A+,” while those over 25 gave it an “A-.”

It was truly a spectacular weekend for Lionsgate, which spent $80 million to produce The Hunger Games and a relatively modest $45 million to market it. Up until this weekend, the studio’s top grosser was the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which earned a total of $119.2 million. The Hunger Games reached that figure in just two days.

Lionsgate took a risk on not showing the actual Hunger Games in the movie’s trailers and ads, but unlike John Carter, the film’s sci-fi premise was still clearly established. The Hunger Games also had tremendous built-in awareness, with more than 24 million copies of Suzanne Collins’ book trilogy in print domestically. And in Jennifer Lawrence, director Gary Ross (Pleasantville) found an actress who could convincingly inhabit the demanding heroine role of Katniss Everdeen.

Furthermore, the decision to release The Hunger Games on IMAX screens for a one-week run achieved handsome results, with the movie collecting $10.6 million at 268 theaters. That’s the best IMAX debut for a 2-D film that isn’t a sequel. Next weekend, IMAX is contractually obligated to replace The Hunger Games with Wrath of the Titans.

Comments

[liliaeth]

I'm really happy that the movie already made back what it cost. Not just because this means we'll get the sequels, but because of what it might mean for other female centric action movies.

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

I am always rubbed up the wrong way by news stories about box office figures being "best ever". They're absolutely worthless without being adjusted for inflation, but that takes too much work as opposed to copying out PR press releases.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

True when comparing it to block busters such as Star Wars or Alien or even Titanic where inflation is a factor. However, the Twilight and the Harry Potter picks referenced were also quite recent.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

Then again, there's this...

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Shocking that people could somehow miss that Rue, Thresh, Rue's family (in the sequels) etc, are absolutely intended to be black. Cinna is, as the article noted, not described in a way that indicates what his race might be. But Rue and Thresh were unambiguous (kind of wish Thresh's role had been bigger, though). I can only assume that these jerks ignored all of those descriptions (though I don't konw how) and focused solely on the fact that Rue reminded Katniss of Prim. But it takes willful denial to have ignored Rue's and Thresh's race.

Those tweets are shocking. (and claiming this "ruined" things for these readers. WTF?!!!!) It would have undermined the story if they hadn't been!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

Meanwhile, a lot of readers including Mark Watches were put off by how white District 12 was. In the books - Katniss mentions how she and Gale are darker in skin color than the more wealthier residents such as Peeta and Madge who have blond hair. And how Katniss took after her father who was darker in skin ton, eye color and hair, while Prim is very fair. They sort of accomplish it. Better than I thought they would.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Strange. How 'white' is 12? I mean, in the book. It's not as though a great deal of time is spent there. Yes, she describes two populations there. But then it's also known that there was a great deal if Irish-Scot heritage in the populations in Appalachia... though no one could ever say that Scott-Irish is the only population there. So describing a population doesn't mean that they are an exclusive population... which is to say, when imagining the place, no one insists that one imagines it to be all of one race.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I thought it was strange as well.
Appalchia tends to be mostly Caucasian or "poor white" (see Justified) - similar to the Ozark Mountains and Branson in Missouri (see Winter's Bone). Yes there's a black population there, but not that big a one.
Coal Mines of PA, the Virginias, Kentucky, Vermont, Maine.....along the Applachain Trail otherwise known as the Poconos, Berkshires, Airondacs..tend to be mostly Scotch-Irish, French, and Welsh - which is Applachia. That's not to say there's not a racial mix up there, just that they are very "segregated". Why would it be different in Panem?

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

But but but but how can you expect white people to relate to non-white characters?!?

I kind of want to write fic about the District 11 guy who starts the riot...

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

But but but but how can you expect white people to relate to non-white characters?!?

Guess 'empathy' is out of the question with that bunch, huh.

The guy starting the riot I thought was a great added scene.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hunger Games is actually a film I can see doing well on Imax - it has great scenery. And isn't as "contained". Also the violence isn't that overwhelming. (Dark Knight on the other hand...will always bewilder me. So does Wrath of the Titans.)

Not surprised it did well - it was a good film. I expect it will easily top 200 million before May, there was a lot of people at that theater who muttered that they wanted to see it again. So it has the return audience too.

Smartly marketed, cast and produced film. Also, evidence that audience's want to see something new...not just remakes and sequels.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Have got to say that I did not enjoy the last Batman movie very much. Then again, I didn't enjoy the last Terminator movie very much either. Maybe it's Cristian Bale...

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Possibly, but I think the films have something else in common as well? Both were very dark, gritty, nihilistic, violent, anti-hero pieces. And honestly? Bale is barely in either of them - Heath Ledger had a bigger role as did the guy who played Half and Half. Terminator Rise of the Machines was Sam whathisname's movie. And it was just a badly written movie...and had a director, who ...well isn't exactly known for his finesse. (That said it was still better than the third film in the Terminator series.)

Bale has been other films: Little Women, Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma, Rescue Dawn, The Fighter, did the voice to Howl's Moving Castle, was the kid in Empire of the Sun, and played the lead in American Psycho. If you saw and hated all those films? Maybe.

Dark Knight was a very violent, dark, noir film - that was very close to the Tim Sale and Frank Miller comics. (I loved it, but I wasn't a fan of the Tim Burton Batman and hated the Val Kilmer and George Clooney versions. And I read the comics on which it was based. Also, I tend to like Chris Nolan flicks - you either like Chris Nolan films or you tend to hate them (Prestige, Inception, Memento, Dark Knight, Batman Begins.) That said? I don't understand how people could watch Dark Knight in Imax though or more than once. I could only see it once and I couldn't watch it in Imax (ugh). That was one film...that I did not want residing in my brain. Much like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo actually (the book and Swedish film of GWDT are partially responsible for my romance novel binge.) ;-)