Hunger Games Prequel Box Office Projections Point to Potential Franchise Record
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes faces disappointing box office projections, potentially setting a new record for the franchise's underperformance
Summary
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is projected to have a disappointing opening weekend, expected to earn only $50 million.
The prequel has the potential to overcome this trend and achieve success by reaching a worldwide breakeven point of $200 million.
Deadline has released new box office projections for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The report states that the film is anticipated to make $50 million during its opening weekend. If this projection holds true, it will set a new record for the lowest-grossing opening weekend in the franchise. The previous record was held by Mockingjay - Part 2, which earned $102 million in its opening weekend back in 2015. The estimated budget for the prequel was approximately $100 million.
Movies | Domestic Box Office Opening Weekend Gross (Per Box Office Mojo) |
|---|---|
Hunger Games (2012) | $152,535,747 |
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) | $158,074,286 |
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) | $121,897,634 |
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) | $102,665,981 |
Why The Box Office For The Hunger Games Prequel Is Disappointing?
The Hunger Games franchise has been incredibly successful for Lionsgate, generating over $3 billion in total revenue. However, the last two installments of the series experienced a significant decrease in their opening box office earnings. In 2014, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 debuted with $121 million, while The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 only managed to bring in a franchise-low of $102 million. These figures were far lower compared to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which opened with $158 million, narrowly surpassing the initial film's $152 million box office debut.
Unfortunately, the prequel is projected to have a low domestic opening gross for the franchise, making only half of what Mockingjay - Part 2 made in its three-day weekend collection in 2015. However, there is still hope for its success since the movie's budget is $100 million. Typically, the breakeven point is double the budget, so the prequel needs to earn at least $200 million worldwide to gain some positive momentum.
The low box office expectations for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes may be attributed to several factors. These include the main cast's inability to promote the prequel due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, the eight-year gap between Hunger Games movies, and recent controversies surrounding Zegler's comments about the Snow White live-action remake. However, there is still potential for the commercial performance of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to improve through positive word of mouth and reception, which could help revive the franchise after its hiatus. As of now, the prequel hopes to navigate the competitive holiday movie season and come out successful.
