The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes snags the top spot at the global box office and nationwide box office this weekend, proving that the passion for The Hunger Games is still very much alive. Nearing the $100 million USD mark worldwide just three days after the release which included hitting $44 million USD in North America and $54.5 million internationally, the numbers might just be enough to convince studios like Lionsgate that there might just be more to explore here.
Perhaps the strong numbers do push towards a justification of more films, however, they did not come close to the original franchise that launched Jennifer Lawrence‘s stardom. Collectively, the films starring Lawrence grossed $3 billion USD globally. The first four installments were released between 2012 and 2015, each generating at least $100 million USD domestically and over $200 million USD or even up to $300 million USD globally in their respective opening weekends.
Variety has reported that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is positioned well at a financial standpoint, despite substantially less than its predecessors in the franchise. Lionsgate Vice Chairman said, “We were a little lighter [than projections] domestically and a little over [projections] internationally, so we’re thrilled with the result. We were a little lighter [than projections] domestically and a little over [projections] internationally, so we’re thrilled with the result.” Being that it is a prequel, statistically prequels do not usually do better than the originals, but with this one, it will appear moderately placed.
The film sees an entirely new cast from the original led by Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth. The film centers around a young Coriolanus Snow, who later becomes the tyrannical leader of Panem. It also follows District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, whom he mentors in the 10th annual Hunger Games.
Watch the film in theaters now.
In other entertainment news, watch the official Madame Web trailer for a first glimpse of the Spider-Man spin-off.
