"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1" raked in $55 million at the domestic box office Friday, exploding to $123 million over the weekend, making it this year's frontrunner in terms of opening day and opening weekend sales. It also hauled in $152 million from the international market, earning an estimated total of $275 million on the first weekend after its release last Nov. 21.
During its nighttime screening in North America on Thursday alone, the film earned $17 million. It surpassed "Guardians of the Galaxy's" $11.2 million, "Godzilla's" $10.5 million, "The Amazing Spider-Man's" $9.2 million, and "Transformers: Age of Extinction's" $8.75 million.
But while the figures may look impressive, the film's earnings fell short of expectations. The first film in the franchise, "The Hunger Games" released in 2012, earned $67.3 million on its opening day, moving on to gain $152.5 million in domestic sales on its first weekend. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" released last year had a domestic sales figure of $71 million on its first day, which ballooned to $158 million on its first weekend.
Although the figures translate to significantly lower numbers than earlier projected, the film is holding fast to its number one position, both locally and internationally. The report by Variety states that "Mockingjay — Part 1" is a top-grosser in almost all countries where it debuted last week. It reportedly opened in 85 territories, the widest release endeavored by Lionsgate, and gained $8.2 million in the U.K. in its first two days, $5.3 million in Russia, and $6 million in Germany, among many others.
2012's "The Hunger Games" bagged over $691 million in total gross earnings, while last year's "Catching Fire" garnered almost $865 million. Analysts are reportedly projecting "Mockingjay's" earnings to land somewhere between $925 million and $1 billion.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1" is currently showing in over 4,000 theaters, while the fourth and final installment in the Jennifer Lawrence starrer, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2," is set for release on Nov. 20, 2015.
