"The Hunger Games" Debuts with Whopping $155 Million - East Idaho News
Arts & Entertainment

“The Hunger Games” Debuts with Whopping $155 Million

  Published at

Getty 092311 MovieOpening?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1332754701618iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Moviegoers had their fill of The Hunger Games over the weekend.

The highly-anticipated movie earned an estimated $155 million from Friday through Sunday — the most successful debut ever for a non-sequel.  The only films to rake in more cash during their opening weekend were Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which bowed last year with $169.2 million, and the Batman film The Dark Knight, which premiered in 2008 with $158.4 million.

To further put The Hunger Games’ total revenue into perspective: the top three Oscar-winners for 2012 — The Artist, Hugo and The Iron Lady — drew a combined $145.6 million during their entire box office runs.

The adaptation of the Suzanne Collins novel also set a first-day record for a non-sequel, raising $68.25 million on Friday.  It pulled in $19.7 million from its midnight screenings early Friday.

Last week’s box office champ, 21 Jump Street, slipped to second place, with $21.3 million.

Here are the top 10 movies from Friday through Sunday, with estimated ticket sales:

1. The Hunger Games, $155 million
2. 21 Jump Street, $21.3 million
3. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, $13.1 million
4. John Carter, $5 million
5. Act of Valor, $2.1 million
6. Project X, $2 million
7. A Thousand Words, $1.9 million
8. October Baby, $1.7 million
9. Safe House, $1.39 million
10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, $1.37 million

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION