'Hunger Games' Has Record Weekend
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(Image Source: Lions Gate)
BY LAUREN ZIMA
ANCHOR JIM FLINK
Fans were hungry for the opening weekend of “The Hunger Games” — ravenous, in fact. CNN reports.
“The movie raked in an estimated, get this, $ 155 million this weekend. The third-biggest debut in North American box office history.”
That number doesn’t account for ticket-price inflation, but the movie has grabbed the third spot — behind only the final “Harry Potter” installment and “The Dark Knight.” So the movie is doing as expected -- better than “Twilight,” but still not beating Pottermania at its peak.
But Deadline notes -- Hunger IS setting more records than expected.
“ ... the highest non-sequel opening weekend ever; and the highest March opening ever ... the highest debut single day for a non-sequel ever … the highest opening of all time outside of the Summer blockbuster season ... the 5th highest opening day ever.”
Yowza. So what do numbers and records like these mean for the struggling film industry? The LA Times reports the movie biz has now had a surprisingly strong first quarter.
“ ... uplifting news for Hollywood, which was fretting after audience turnout dropped to its lowest level in 16 years in 2011. The turnaround is in part, industry analysts say, because of many distributors' deciding to release some of their best films in winter — typically seen as a dumping ground for low-grade movies.
Variety notes “The Hunger Games” has also been game for global takeover.
“ … the pic earned an astonishing $ 214 million worldwide (No. 1 in virtually every market) …”
And Bloomberg reports the movie’s success could majorly affect Hollywood’s future agenda as well, because it proved female action heroes can attract major audiences — and that it all started with marketing.
“The company … didn’t market the film as a romance, even though two male characters are attracted to the film’s heroine … A film poster … features a gender-neutral image of a burning pin ... Commercials for the picture aired on programs popular with men, such as college basketball tournaments, as well as with young women …”
A sequel to “The Hunger Games,” which is based on a popular book series, is already set for late 2013.
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