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Variety: 'Hunger Games' on track for nearly $70 mil Friday/ north of $140 mil weekend
Lionsgate's 'The Hunger Games' is off and running at the box office, with the teen actioner on track to gross nearly $70 million Friday.
Based on the popular young adult novels by Suzanne Collins, "The Hunger Games" stormed out of the gate Thursday night, earning an impressive $19.7 million in midnight runs, with some auds staying up into the wee hours for a 3 a.m. screening. Factoring in the $19.7 million in late-night bows, "Games" should gross nearly $70 million Friday from 4,137 locations.
Lionsgate's previous top B.O. performer was Michael Moore's political doc "Farhenheit 911," which cumed $119 million.
Analysts have been predicting a "Hunger Games" killing for months, with B.O. observers projecting the film would open in the $125 million range. But today's overperformance suggests it could have a wider appeal than the "Twilight" pics, whose highest opening weekend gross was $141 million ("New Moon").
"It's all Suzanne Collins," one Lionsgate exec beams. "Anybody reads that book, a young girl or young guy, everyone responds overwhelmingly positive to the material. It's a fantastic story."
What's even more impressive, "The Hunger Games" enters the top 10 best Stateside openings of all-time -- and is the only pic in its company to do so as a non-sequel. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" ($169 million) "The Dark Knight" ($158 million) and "Spider-Man 3" ($151 million) currently make up the top three highest U.S. openings ever.
Rounding out the top three domestically are last week's B.O. champ "21 Jump Street" and U's "The Lorax." Sony's R-rated "Jump Street," starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, is down 60% week-to-week but should see an uptick in Saturday traffic, placing the action-comedy in the $16 million range for the weekend.
Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" will also get a bump in Saturday auds, with B.O. observors predicting a $13 million to $14 million gross for the 3D pic.
Contact Stuart Oldham at stuart.oldham@variety.com
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118051857
[HGAME]
Tag(s): HGAME
Variety: 'Hunger Games' on track for nearly $70 mil Friday/ north of $140 mil weekend Mar 23, 16:16
Nice. My lobogotti pick is getting close :) {nm} Mar 23, 16:17
keep it rolling! {nm} Mar 23, 16:19
"21 Jump Street down 60% week-to-week" for Friday: that's much heavier that I expected Mar 23, 16:24
Same here. I expected WOM to help its hold. {nm} Mar 23, 17:33
The young males who would otherwise be going to 21JST are tagging along the young females to HGAME, hoping to get laid. {nm} Mar 23, 18:18
why HGAME frozen when it says active?even though shorts have tripled. {nm} Mar 25, 19:28