The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 predictably topped this weekend’s box office — but less predictably didn’t do as well as the previous films in the franchise.
The previous Hunger Games film, Catching Fire, also opened on the weekend before Thanksgiving, but ended its weekend with $158 million. Mockingjay, though, grossed $123 million. Compared to $158 million, and to the original Hunger Games’ $152.5 million opening in 2012, $123 million is disappointing. But in the context of 2014, it’s amazing: Mockingjay had a stronger opening than any other film this year, beating out Transformers: Age of Extinction’s $100 million debut.
And while Catching Fire’s domestic opening beat Mockingjay’s, Mockingjay takes the prize for foreign totals: Lionsgate premiered the film in 85 international markets this weekend and made an estimated $152 million in those markets — four percent more than the $146 million Catching Fire brought in internationally its opening weekend.
As for the rest of the top five, Disney’s Big Hero 6 stayed at the number two spot with $20.1 million while Interstellar trailed behind with $15.1 million. Big Hero 6 didn’t experience too big of a drop from last week’s $34.7 million, but Interstellar’s gross declined by 46 percent, perhaps because its action-loving audience were too busy seeing Mockingjay to journey to space for a few hours.
Dumb and Dumber To went from topping the box office last weekend to falling to the number four spot this time around with $13.8 million — that’s a 62 percent decrease, showing that Dumb and Dumber To’s audience isn’t a reliable one. But Gone Girl proved the opposite: The thriller spent its eighth consecutive weekend in the top five, making $2.8 million.
Outside the top five, The Theory of Everything added about 100 locations, bringing its theater total to 140 and grossed $1.5 million. Birdman added just five locations and brought in $1.9 million — not as strong as last weekend’s $2.5 million, but not bad.
See Hunger Games: Mockingjay Stars' Most Memorable Past Roles
Jennifer Lawrence is a household name now thanks to roles like Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movies, but back in 2010 she was still a relative unknown when she made her breakout performance as Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone.Lionsgate; Roadside AttractionsBefore he brought to life Peeta Mellark from the Hunger Games novels, he played Jesse Aarons from Bridge to Terabithia in the 2007 fantasy film by the same name.Lionsgate; Buena VistaLiam Hemsworth, aka the real life brother of Thor, plays Katniss’ love interest Gale Hawthorne in the Hunger Games movies and also played a runaway teen named Victor in the 2009 British thriller Triangle.
Lionsgate; Icon FilmWoody Harrelson spends his time in the Hunger Games mentoring Katniss as former District 12 victor Haymitch Abernathy, but back in the day he spent his time schooling others in basketball as Billy Hoyle in the 1992 comedy White Men Can’t Jump.Lionsgate; 20th Century FoxBefore she was dressing up victors in the Hunger Games movies as Effie Trinket, Elizabeth Banks was dressed up in scrubs as Dr. Kim Briggs in the long-running television show Scrubs.Lionsgate; NBCDonald Sutherland may rule Panem with an iron fist, but he showed a much gentler side as Mr. Bennet in the 2005 romance Pride & Prejudice.Lionsgate; Focus FeaturesJulianne Moore takes on a stark tone as the reserved and stoic President Alma Coin of District 13 in Mockingjay, but in 1998 she played the uninhibited avant-garde artist Maude in The Big Lebowski.Lionsgate; Gramercy PicturesThe late Philip Seymour Hoffman brings his considerable talent to the Hunger Games as the Head Gamemaker turned rebel Plutarch Heavensbee, but years prior, he portrayed the author Truman Capote in the 2005 biopic Capote, a role for which he would win an Oscar for Best Actor.Lionsgate; Sony Pictures ClassicsSam Claflin plays Finnick Odair, the charismatic victor from District 4, and was also William, Snow White’s childhood friend, in the 2012 fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman.Lionsgate; UniversalBefore he was interviewing the Hunger Games victors about the minutiae of their lives as Caesar Flickerman, Stanley Tucci chased the latest in fashion trends as Nigel, the snarky art director of Runway magazine, in the 2006 comedy The Devil Wears Prada.Lionsgate; 20th Century FoxJeffrey Wright portrays the genius inventor Beetee in the Hunger Games and also played CIA operative Felix Leiter in the James Bond movies Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.Lionsgate; MGMLong before he was shooting propaganda films in Mockingjay as Pollux, Elden Henson was shooting pucks back in the 90s as Fulton Reed in the Mighty Ducks trilogy.Lionsgate; Buena VistaAlthough Mahershala Ali has to fight the Capitol’s considerable forces as Commander Boggs in Mockingjay, human soldiers should prove much easier after having to face off against aliens in the 2010 sci-fi flick Predators.Lionsgate; 20th Century FoxNatalie Dormer joins the cast of the Hunger Games as Cressida, a talented propaganda director, in Mockingjay, however, most people will better know her as Margaery Tyrell from Game of Thrones.Lionsgate; HBO
