It’s not exactly The Hunger Games reborn, but Divergent, the latest heir to the YA throne of Katniss and Bella, has pulled in an impressive first day nonetheless.  From 3,936 locations, Divergent earned an estimated $22.8 million, including $4.9 million from its Thursday night previews.  The Lionsgate/Summit release should pull in at least $53 million through Sunday.  That’s on par with studio expectations for the film, but it's only a third of what The Hunger Games earned on the same weekend in 2012.

Coming in second on Friday was Muppets Most Wanted, the follow-up to Disney’s 2011 Muppet reboot.  The sequel earned an estimated $4.6 million from its 3,194 locations, which should add up to an opening close to $18 million this weekend.  There’s a surprise in third place, in the form of God's Not Dead.  An independent faith-based feature, God's Not Dead pulled in a reported $2.8 million from its first day in just 780 venues.  That beat more mainstream holdovers like Mr. Peabody and Sherman and 300: Rise of an Empire on Friday, though God is expected to fall out of the top five this weekend.  Check back for details tomorrow.

 Title

Friday

Total

1.

 Divergent

$22,800,000

$22.8

2.

 Muppets Most Wanted

$4,660,000

$4.6

3.

 God’s Not Dead

$2,800,000

$2.8

4.

 Mr. Peabody & Sherman

$2,720,000

$72

5.

 300: Rise of an Empire

$2,400,000

$87.5

6.

 Need for Speed

$2,240,000

$24.9