While it may have finally slipped down from the #1 spot on the box office charts, there’s still plenty going on in the world of Hunger Games, especially with the cast getting used to a new director.
Not to mention the books are still on top of the best-sellers lists, fueling even more success for the franchise. (When you Google the Hunger Games, 1,010,000,000 results turn up).
It had to happen sooner or late, but finally The Hunger Games’s reign at the top of the box office charts is over.
It claimed #1 for four weeks, the longest a movie’s stayed at the top since Avatar, but Think Like a Man did finally dethrone it.
Still, Boxofficemojo tells us that even with it coming in third place this week, Games had “its lightest drop yet” from the charts, 31%, which brings its domestic total to $356.9 million.
Of course, the frenzy over the movie has also brought the book back to the best-sellers lists, with Catching Fire and Mockingjay hitting #1 and #1 of the L.A. Times best-seller Hardcover Fiction list, respectively.
Interestingly enough, the lead character of Katniss is also getting a lot of praise as a feminist role model. At a women’s rights event Joss Whedon told the Hollywood Reporter that strong female characters in films have been “peripheral for a long time, and I think The Hunger Games is about to change that in a big way. I really like it; it’s my kind of thing. And more important, I like what it’s doing, which is millions.”
At the premiere for Cabin in the Woods, Variety asked Whedon if he’d be interested in taking over the Hunger Games series, and as much as he likes it, he did say he wants to stay with his own projects.
Francis Lawrence, who also helmed I Am Legend, has been picked to direct Catching Fire, and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark) told the Hollywood Reporter, “I’m excited to meet him. I’ve heard amazing things about him, so it’s gonna be a fun ride.”
As Hutherson further elaborated to Eonline, “Gary Ross was the best guy in the world. I think he brought so much to the movie. I’m definitely going to miss him. Francis Lawrence is extremely talented. I’ve heard he’s the nicest guy in the world. I’m really excited to see what he’s going do with it.”
