Surprising no one, “The Hunger Games” had a massive opening weekend, earning $155 million in its first three days to rack up the third largest debut in history.
And given that the two films that placed higher were “The Dark Knight” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”, that number is even more impressive. It’s the biggest “non-sequel” opening ever.
I am not entirely sure what that means, as far as the sequels go. And who knows what’ll happen next weekend, when “Wrath of the Titans” and “Mirror Mirror” sidle up to the bar? Whatever happens, I know this much: We’re about to be inundated with industry stories about Hollywood getting its groove back, and a few weeks down the line Entertainment Weekly will do a piece about why “The Hunger Games” soared while “John Carter” tanked. Moving on, nothing to see here.
Poor Andrew Stanton. He deserved so much better.
At least part of the upshot of this weekend’s box office is discussion over whether Katniss is a better role model for young girls than Bella, which, of course, she couldn’t help being. Even though I have not read The Hunger Games, I have read that considering she is in a competition to the death, Katniss is kind of kept from making any really tough choices, like killing a friend, by circumstances. So although Katniss sounds like she completely kicks Bella’s butt, and that’s a good thing, Buffy is still the best, most rounded role model out there.