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The odds were very much in the favor of Catching Fire this weekend, as the well-reviewed Hunger Games sequel earned $161.1 million over the pre-Thanksgiving weekend.

That’s a November box office record.

The Jennifer Lawrence-anchored blockbuster beat the $152.5 million opening of its predecessor and out-earned the previous November champion, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, by about $20 million.

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Forget November, though.

Only three films have EVER opened with better number than Catching Fire. They are:The Avengers ($207.4 million), Iron Man 3 ($174.1 million) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169.2 million).

If current estimates hold, Catching Fire will bring down The Dark Knight Rises as the largest 2-D opening of all-time.

And it deserves it, folks. What a terrific movie.

Here’s a look at the weekend’s Top 5 money makers:

  1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – $161.1 million
  2. Thor: The Dark World – $14.1 million
  3. The Best Man Holiday – $12.5 million
  4. Delivery Man – $8.2 million
  5. Free Birds – $5.3 million