Well, nobody’s going hungry tonight, that’s for damn sure. Riding off the buzz of some immensely positive reviews, director Gary Ross’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ popular young adult novel has had one hell of an opening weekend. The numbers are still rolling in, so you can expect some variations on the final figures but if you add the film’s takings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it comes to…. hmmm, carry the 1…. ah, yes: a grand total of HOLY CRUD, SINCE WHEN DO NUMBERS GO THAT HIGH?!
It has now brought in enough cash to have earned it’s place in the record books, as the 3rd highest opening in the United States ever. And that’s not even including it’s international numbers. Hit the jump for the full breakdown.
The early unofficial numbers indicate that the dystopian science fiction tale brought in $68 million on Friday, $51 million on Saturday and $36 million on Sunday, giving it a massive domestic box office opening weekend of $155 million. This places it just behind The Dark Knight ($158 million) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169 million) on the list of overall most successful opening weekends in the US.
Internationally, the film brought in a further $59 million giving it a total global haul of $214, 000, 000 . That’s a whole lot of zeroes.
Lionsgate can now chalk this up as the biggest film opening that the studio has ever seen, and considering the fact that the film reportedly just took $75 million to make (throw in perhaps another $30 million for marketing), I’m sure that those execs are partying up a storm right now. The children of a number of local Los Angeles cocaine dealers probably just got put through college.
While I was expecting the film to do well, especially considering its established fan base, I really wasn’t expecting this staggering level of success. With this record-breaking performance, star Jennifer Lawrence – upon whose shoulders most of the praise for the film is being heaped – has not just arrived at the upper echelon of the Hollywood elite; no she’s kicked the door down and got comfy on the couch, hand tucked in crotch, like she owns the place.
My excitement level for this film is stratospheric at this point, so the next 3 weeks until local release are going to be downright torture. I guess I’ll have to just sate myself in the mean time on amazing trailers such as this one:
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.
Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon hersharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Last Updated: March 26, 2012
