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