The Hunger Games

Weekend Box Office – THE AVENGERS Break Second Weekend Record with $103.1 Million; DARK SHADOWS in Second with $28.8 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 13th, 2012 at 9:20 am

It’s another one for the record books. Along with the prize for highest first weekend in domestic history, The Avengers has now earned the highest second weekend with an estimated $103.1 million from 4,349 locations. That crushes Avatar’s former sophomore record of $75.6 million and represents a decline of just 50% – a better hold than The Dark Knight managed in its second frame. Even more exciting for Disney and Marvel, the worldwide estimate for The Avengers has now topped One Billion. Unfortunately, good news for The Avengers means not-so-good news for Dark Shadows. The latest collaboration of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp earned an estimated $28.8 million from 3,755 locations, or a bit less than The Avengers made on Friday alone.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Avengers	$103,160,000	$373.1
2	Dark Shadows	$28,800,000	$28.8
3	Think Like A Man	$6,300,000	$81.9
4	The Hunger Games	$4,300,000	$387
5	The Lucky One	$4,055,000	$53.7
6	Pirates! Band of Misfits	$3,200,000	$21.1
7	The Five-Year Engagement	$3,095,000	$24.4
8	Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	$2,650,000	$3.7
9	Chimpanzee	$1,624,000	$25.5
10	Girl in Progress	$1,350,000	$1.35

Francis Lawrence Confirmed to Direct THE HUNGER GAMES Sequel, CATCHING FIRE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 3rd, 2012 at 10:01 am

Several weeks ago, we reported that director Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) had been offered the director’s chair for The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire.  There was little doubt he would take the gig, and now Lionsgate has sent out a press release confirming that he has the job.  Hunger Games director Gary Ross passed on returning for Catching Fire due to the lack of prep time, which apparently isn’t a problem for Lawrence.  The rushed schedule and hiring of a journeyman director like Lawrence means Catching Fire will likely be a straight adaptation of Suzanne Collins‘ novel, which is a shame because the book has serious problems past the halfway mark.

Hit the jump for the press release.  The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, and Woody Harrelson.  Catching Fire begins filming this fall and will open November 22, 2013.

THE HUNGER GAMES and BRIDESMAIDS Lead 2012 MTV Movie Awards

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 8:04 am

Since the MTV Movie Awards air in the middle of the summer, they’re allowed to pull from successful spring pictures.  This year, they’ve done exactly that and awarded The Hunger Games with eight nominations.  However, MTV didn’t forget the movies of last summer, and also gave eight nods to Bridesmaids.  As for the other nominees, the Twilight series has always dominated the MTV Movie Awards in the past, but The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 only pulled in two nominations this year.  It may be a case of out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new, but it’s worth noting that this was the first year where nominees were chosen by a panel of industry insiders instead of online voting.  I don’t know why MTV made that change (it’s not like anyone can make the awards more respectable), but fans will still get to choose the winners.  While the MTV Movie Awards are really more of a platform for funny sketches and showing clips from upcoming movies, an awards ceremony that allows you to give Drive an award for “A Real Hero” can’t be all bad.

Hit the jump to check out the nominees.  The 2012 MTV Movie Awards air live on June 3rd at 9/8c.

Weekend Box Office – THINK LIKE A MAN Stays On Top with $18 Million as New Releases Underwhelm

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: April 29th, 2012 at 9:01 am

Thought last weekend, when the comedy Think Like A Man took first place from the heavily-favored The Lucky One, was a surprise? Then check out this weekend’s estimates. Not only has Think Like A Man defied all expectations by holding the top spot for a second week; it did so by beating the heavily-favored rom-com The Five-Year Engagement from super-producer Judd Apatow. Could it be that post-racial America has finally arrived? Or is everyone just saving their money to see The Avengers? You be the judge.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Think Like A Man	$18,400,000	$60.8
2	Pirates! Band of Misfits	$11,400,000	$11.4
3	The Lucky One	$11,325,000	$39.9
4	The Hunger Games	$11,250,000	$372.4
5	The Five-Year Engagement	$11,156,800	$11.1
6	Safe	$7,720,000	$7.7
7	The Raven	$7,250,000	$7.2
8	Chimpanzee	$5,460,000	$19.1
9	The Three Stooges	$5,400,000	$37.1
10	Cabin in the Woods	$4,500,000	$34.6

Weekend Box Office – THINK LIKE A MAN On Top with $33 Million; THE LUCKY ONE Second with $22.8

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: April 22nd, 2012 at 9:18 am

After surprising us on Friday with its first-place debut, Think Like A Man has surprised again with its estimated $33 million haul from 2,015 locations.  That is the best per-screen average of the week (wide releases) and it nearly doubles expectations for the comedy. In second place, The Lucky One earned a solid $22.8 million and then there’s The Hunger Games… not sick of hearing about that one yet, are you?

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Walk Like a Man	$33,000,000	$33
2	The Lucky One	$22,805,000	$22.8
3	The Hunger Games	$14,500,000	$356.9
4	Chimpanzee	$10,205,000	$10.2
5	The Three Stooges	$9,200,000	$29.3
6	Cabin in the Woods	$7,750,000	$26.9
7	American Reunion	$5,232,000	$48.2
8	Titanic 3D	$5,000,000	$52.8
9	21 Jump Street	$4,600,000	$127
10	Mirror, Mirror	$4,114,000	$55.2

Friday Box Office – THE HUNGER GAMES Finally Falls; THINK LIKE A MAN and THE LUCKY ONE Open Strong in First and Second

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: April 21st, 2012 at 9:04 am

After a remarkable four weekends at number one, the reign of The Hunger Games is over.  But you probably saw that coming.  What seems a bit more surprising is the film that is taking its place at the top: Think Like A Man. Until a few days ago, the Sony/Screen Gems comedy looked like it would see a three-day opening in the mid-teens but, on Friday, it drew an estimated $12.2 million from 2,015 locations.  That should translate into a weekend close to $30 million for the Steve Harvey vehicle.  At number two on Friday, The Lucky One is also pulling in bigger-than-expected numbers, though it probably won’t challenge for first place, as was originally expected. The seventh feature from novelist Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One earned an estimated $9.1 million from 3,155 locations for what should be $25 million by Sunday.  Finally, the latest doc from DisneyNature, Chimpanzee, opened in fourth on Friday with $3.5 million from 1,563 dates – a better start than either African Cats or Oceans… Full details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Think Like A Man	$12,200,000	$12.2
2	The Lucky One	$9,100,000	$9.1
3	The Hunger Games	$4,000,000	$346.4
4	Chimpanzee	$3,500,000	$3.5
5	Cabin in the Woods	$2,500,000	$21.7

THE HUNGER GAMES Heads Back to IMAX Theaters; New Poster Released

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 20th, 2012 at 7:53 am

Lionsgate may have finally settled on a director for the sequel Catching Fire, but The Hunger Games is still busy doing gangbusters at the box office.  It was the number one film for the fourth weekend in a row (the first movie to do that since Avatar and The Dark Knight), and now fans will get another opportunity to see Gary Ross’ adaptation on the big, big screen.  Starting April 27th, the film will open again for a one-week limited run in select IMAX theaters.  Only about 100 IMAX theaters are participating in the engagement, but if your town is one of the lucky ones and you missed the film in the large-screen format the first time around, now’s your chance to catch it before the pic out of theaters.  Moreover, Lionsgate has released a new poster specifically designed to mark the occasion.  Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group Co-Chair Rob Friedman had this to say about the re-release:

“It’s wonderful that so many fans have expressed interest in seeing The Hunger Games in the immersive IMAX format, and many of these are repeat viewers. We’re delighted that IMAX has been able to accommodate them through this special one week re-engagement.”

Hopefully those checking out the IMAX version of The Hunger Games are going to actual IMAX theaters instead of reformatted regular theaters (it really does make a difference).  Hit the jump to check out the poster.

Francis Lawrence Offered CATCHING FIRE Directing Gig

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 19th, 2012 at 6:16 pm

Following a bit of a mad scramble to replace departing director Gary Ross, Lionsgate seems to have settled on his replacement for the impending Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire.  We recently learned that the studio had narrowed their list down to two choices: Moneyball director Bennett Miller and I Am Legend’s Francis Lawrence.  Now comes word that Lionsgate plans to extend the offer to—drumroll please—Mr. Lawrence!  Hit the jump for more.

CATCHING FIRE Adds Bennett Miller and Francis Lawrence to Potential Director List

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 17th, 2012 at 5:18 pm

With Gary Ross’ non-return to direct the follow up of his blockbuster film, The Hunger Games, Lionsgate turned to a wish-list of directors that included David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.  While those names were merely placeholders for a director with an arrow’s chance in Panem at getting the job (something we waxed poetic about in our recent podcast), two more names have cropped up that seem to have a bit more validity to them.  Reportedly, some conversations have already taken place with directors Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and Francis Lawrence (Constantine) to helm the sequel, Catching Fire.  Hit the jump for more on these potential candidates.

THE COLLISION: Episode 3 – Talkin’ Wish Lists, Teasers for Trailers, LOCKOUT, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 15th, 2012 at 9:34 pm

Our goal for The Collision‘s runtime is to always keep the show between 45 minutes and an hour.  However, we broke that rule this week so we could spend time talking about The Cabin in the Woods.  This is also our first show where we instituted spoiler protection, so everything Cabin was placed at the end of the show (specifically, it starts at the 41:55 mark).  But for those who don’t want to hear about Cabin just yet, we’ve still got plenty of great podcast for you.  We talk about the Catching Fire director wish list, teasers for trailers, Lockout, our weekly recommendations, and at one point my microphone drops out for a minute and we just keep going anyway!  You can also hear my awesome new speech impediment from having braces put back on my teeth.   The show is rough, tumble, and a whole lotta fun.  Once again, we encourage you to give us your thoughts on the podcast by either sounding off in the comments section or shooting a tweet @CollisionCast.  We’re still figuring out this podcast, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us shape the program.

Click here to listen to our latest episode, click here to listen to our previous episode, and click here to add The Collision to your RSS feed.  An iTunes link will be available (hopefully) later this week.

Weekend Box Office: HUNGER GAMES Tops Again for Fourth Weekend in a Row with $21.5 Million

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 15th, 2012 at 9:03 am

The Hunger Games cannot be stopped.  Director Gary Ross’s adaptation of the popular Suzanne Collins book took the top spot at the box office for the fourth weekend in a row with $21.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $337 million with a worldwide haul over $479 million.  Though Lionsgate is presumably extremely happy with The Hunger Games’ performance, they’re currently on the lookout for a director replacement for the sequel Catching Fire after Ross declined to return due to the tight schedule.  They have to start filming the follow-up this August in order for star Jennifer Lawrence to be wrapped in time to move on to the X-Men: First Class sequel in January, and to make Catching Fire’s November 2013 release date.  Hit the jump for details and analysis of the full top 10.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Hunger Games	$21,500,000	$337,070,000
2	The Three Stooges	$17,100,000	$17,100,000
3	The Cabin in the Woods	$14,850,000	$14,850,000
4	Titanic 3D	$11,625,000	$44,419,000
5	American Reunion	$10,700,000	$39,900,000
6	Mirror Mirror	$7,000,000	$49,468,000
7	Wrath of the Titans	$6,905,000	$71,251,000
8	21 Jump Street	$6,800,000	$120,565,000
9	Lockout	$6,250,000	$6,250,000
10	Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax	$3,020,000	$204,483,000

Friday Box Office – THE HUNGER GAMES Fights Off THE THREE STOOGES and THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 14th, 2012 at 10:03 am

Despite three new wide releases this weekend, The Hunger Games is back at the top of the box office for the fourth (and not necessarily final) Friday in a row, adding another $6.5 million to its terrific $322 million domestic total.  The Three Stooges came in second with a $5.6 million opening day, which may be just enough to relaunch the franchise if the movie has legs.  The Cabin in the Woods trailed in third, premiering to $5.5 million.  That’s not a great total for a movie we love so much, but it could be much worse.  Look no further than Lockout, which landed outside the top five to a paltry $2.2 million, beat by last week’s offerings American Reunion and Titanic 3D.  Look for details and analysis on the full weekend tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Hunger Games	$6,450,000	$322.0
2	The Three Stooges	$5,625,000	$5.6
3	The Cabin in the Woods	$5,500,000	$5.5
4	American Reunion	$3,400,000	$32.6
5	Titanic 3D	$3,335,000	$36.1

THE COLLISION: Episode 2 – Talkin’ AMERICAN REUNION, THE NEWSROOM, TOTAL RECALL, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 11th, 2012 at 8:15 am

After a week-off due to personal reasons on my part, The Collision podcast has returned.  In our second episode, Adam Chitwood, Dave Trumbore, and I talk about Gary Ross‘ potential return to direct The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire.  We also give our thoughts on the first looks at Len Wiseman‘s remake of Total Recall, take a detour to Mirror Mirror, and come around to Aaron Sorkin‘s upcoming HBO TV series, The Newsroom.  Finally, we discuss American Reunion, and provide our weekly recommendations.  Once again, we encourage you to give us your thoughts on the podcast by either sounding off in the comments section or shooting a tweet @CollisionCast.  We’re still figuring out this podcast, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us shape the program.

Click here to listen to our latest episode, click here to listen to our previous episode, and click here to add The Collision to your RSS feed.  An iTunes link will be available soon.

Gary Ross Releases Statement Confirming He Won’t Direct THE HUNGER GAMES Sequel CATCHING FIRE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 10th, 2012 at 7:42 pm

We heard last week that despite Gary Ross‘ enthusiasm for the material, he will not return to direct Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games.  But there was a conflicting report that Ross, who did a bang-up job adapting the first movie, was likely to direct the sequel and would say so himself once he returned from vacation.  Sadly, that is not the case.  Ross released an official statement explaining why he will move on from the franchise:

“Despite recent speculation in the media, and after difficult but sincere consideration, I have decided not to direct Catching Fire. As a writer and a director, I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule.”

Hit the jump for the full statement, plus Lionsgate’s response.

Josh Hutcherson Talks DETENTION and Whether He Thinks Gary Ross Will Return for CATCHING FIRE

by Christina Radish    Posted: April 10th, 2012 at 7:35 pm

Detention is a wild and crazy hipster, teen horror-comedy that mixes in science fiction, body-swapping, time-travelling, 1990′s throwback, date flick and a murdering psycho, in only the way that director/co-writer Joseph Kahn (Torque) can.  Cinderhella is a slasher-movie killer who has seemingly come to life and is preying on the local students of Grizzly Lake, who are just trying to survive their final year of high school.  As the bodies pile up, Riley Jones (Shanley Caswell) and Clapton Davis (The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson) are in a deadly and outrageous race against time to save the world.

At the film’s press day, actor/executive producer Josh Hutcherson talked about his first experience behind the scenes on a film, what he thought of the script when he first read it, how grueling the shoot was, getting to learn how to ride on a unicycle, and what it was like to do his own stunts.  He also talked about how happy and excited he is over the box office success of The Hunger Games, and how he doesn’t think there’s a chance that director Gary Ross won’t return to helm the sequel, Catching Fire.  Check out what he had to say after the jump:

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