Though 2013 was filled with plenty of superhero and blockbuster films that did solid business at the box office, it appears that Katniss has come out the victor. Lionsgate announced today that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has now grossed $409.4 million domestically, which surges past Iron Man 3’s $409.0 million total to make Catching Fire the top grossing film of 2013. That’s quite an impressive feat considering Catching Fire didn’t enjoy the 3D surcharge that other top grossing 2013 films like Man of Steel and Despicable Me 2 did. In fact, Catching Fire and Fast & Furious 6 are the only films in 2013’s Top 10 highest grossers that didn’t play in 3D. Catching Fire’s worldwide total now stands at an astounding $832.2 million, and it's the first film with a solo female lead to take the top box office spot since 1973's The Exorcist. Here's hoping Catching Fire's success is a sign of things to come. The series continues with this November’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.
For more on 2013's box office, be sure to check out our resident math genius Brendan's latest installment of Cinemath, which features a fascinating and in-depth look at last year's box office. Read the full press release after the jump.
Here’s the press release:
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE BLAZES TO $409.4 MILLION AT THE DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE, BECOMING #1 FILM OF 2013
First Time In History That First Two Installments of A Franchise Generate Over $400 Million at the Domestic Box Office
SANTA MONICA, CA, and VANCOUVER, BC, January 10, 2014 – Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire became the highest-grossing film released at the domestic box office in 2013 as it grossed an estimated $493,000 last night for an estimated domestic cume to date of $409.4 million in its first 49 days of release, the Company announced today.
Catching Fire, which set records for the biggest November opening weekend of all time ($158.1 million) as well as the biggest three- and five-day Thanksgiving box office totals ever, has already become the 13th highest-grossing North American release in history and remains in wide release. It passed the first Hunger Games film, which grossed $408 million at the domestic box office, on Tuesday and is the fifth fastest film ever to reach the $400 million mark at the domestic box office.
The success of Catching Fire marks the first time the first two installments of a franchise have each topped $400 million at the domestic box office, and both films now rank among the top 15 domestic film releases in history. Catching Fire has also grossed $428.8 million internationally for a worldwide box office total of $838.2 million in its first seven weeks of release compared to $691 million worldwide box office generated during the entire run of the first Hunger Games film. The Company noted that Catching Fire is the first 2D film to become the top-grossing film of the year since 2008.
“The Hunger Games franchise continues to evolve into a truly global phenomenon,” said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer. “The success of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a testament to the vision of author Suzanne Collins, the sure hand of director Francis Lawrence, the brilliant performances of a remarkably talented cast led by the amazing Jennifer Lawrence and superb execution by our motion picture production, marketing and distribution teams. We will continue to grow the transformative Hunger Gamesfranchise in the years to come even as we continue to develop a dynamic portfolio of premium new brands.”
The next two installments of The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, are currently in production for release on November 21, 2014 and November 20, 2015, respectively.