Under normal circumstances, a movie that raked in an estimated $123 million in its opening weekend—the biggest debut of 2014—would be considered an unqualified smash-mouth success.
But The Hunger Games is not a normal franchise. And neither are the sky-high box office expectations that come with it. So even though Katniss and Co. pulled off the biggest debut of 2014 with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the film’s seemingly stellar numbers actually represent a 22% drop from the last installment, 2013’s Catching Fire, which nabbed $158 million in its opening frame.
Box Office Mojo’s Ray Subers says of the film’s huge-but-still-disappointing opening, “It’s worth noting up front that Lionsgate is going to make a ton of money on this movie, both domestically and internationally. This opening reinforces that The Hunger Games is one of the most popular and successful big-screen franchises ever. At the same time, a 22% drop going in to the penultimate installment is stunning for a series that’s been as well-managed and well-received as this one.”
A mere $103 million gulf separated No. 1 from No. 2 this week, with Disney’s animated kids’ superhero romp Big Hero 6 earning $20.1 million to take the runner-up spot. Baymax and Hiro held off Interstellar for the third week in a row, as Christopher Nolan’s space odyssey clocked in at No. 3 with $15.1 million. But while Big Hero 6 has outperformed Interstellar domestically, the tables are dramatically turned with international revenues factored in. After three weeks, Big Hero 6 has earned $185.2 million with overseas figures added in, compared to Interstellar’s box office black hole of $449.7 million—proof that Nolan’s global moviemaking brand is definitely alive and well in the post-Dark Knight era.
The No. 4 spot went to Dumb and Dumber To at $13.8 million. And Gone Girl rounded out the Top 5, still clinging to the upper box office echelon after eight weekends in theaters. Its $2.8 million weekend brought the gritty R-rated crime thriller’s total domestic take to $156.8 million.
Next weekend sees the arrival of Penguins of Madagascar and Horrible Bosses 2, which will vie for eyeballs and dollars (though from very different audiences) over the long Thanksgiving holiday.
Final figures update: 1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1: $121.9 million; 2. Big Hero 6, $20.1 million; 3. Interstellar, $15.3 million; 4. Dumb and Dumber To, $14.1 million; 5. Gone Girl, $2.8 million.
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