The film will gross a historic $155 million in its opening-weekend box-office debut, its studio estimated this morning.
The Friday-Sunday take is the third-biggest in Hollywood history, blowing past the blockbuster hauls of the Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean and Twilight movies, among others.
The Friday-Sunday take is the third-biggest in Hollywood history, blowing past the blockbuster hauls of the Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean and Twilight movies, among others.
The film opened at midnight Friday, taking in nearly $20 million from those screenings alone. By the end of its first day, it had collected $68 million, the fifth-biggest single and opening-day grosses ever. On Saturday, it collected another $51 million. Lionsgate was calling for a $36 million Sunday.
Internationally, the film was just as strong, opening No. 1 in nearly every market it played, the studio said, and grossing a combined $59.3 million.
The final tally on The Hunger Games' three-day, worldwide haul: $214.3 million.
The first sequel, Catching Fire, is already in the works, and set for a November 2013 release.
Here's a complete rundown of the top 10 all-time opening weekends, as compiled per BoxOfficeMojo.com stats:
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, $169.2 million
- The Dark Knight, $158.4 million
- The Hunger Games, $155 million
- Spider-Man 3, $151.1 million
- The Twilight Saga: New Moon, $142.8 million
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, $138.1 million
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, $135.6 million
- Iron Man 2, $128.1 million
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, $125 million
- Shrek the Third, $121.6 million
