It may be the lowest of the franchise thus far, but The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 has smashed records for 2014 with the biggest opening Friday of the year.
Taking a whopping $55 million across 4,151 screens, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 has eclipsed Transformers: Age of Extinction, which had a Friday total of $41.8 million. With an extra foreign gross, the movie currently sits on $122 million worldwide. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 should take around $125 million over the weekend in the US alone.
But it’s not all good news for Lionsgate, as despite the good takings, it’s the lowest opening for The Hunger Games series. The original movie opened to $67.3 million while its sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire had a Friday opening of $71 million. Experts have theorised that the dip could be due to series fatigue and the fact this is the first part of a two-part movie. Read Robert Kojder’s thoughts on that subject here.
The worldwide phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Meta Golding, Jena Malone, Stef Dawson, Natalie Dormer, Lily Rabe, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Ross, Mahershala Ali, Wes Chatham, Eldon Henson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Julianne Moore. Listen to the Flickering Myth Podcast review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 using the player below:
Originally published November 23, 2014. Updated July 3, 2023.
