The Big Picture
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes holds the top spot at the North American box office for the second week in a row, earning $28.82 million over the weekend.
- The film’s global earnings are expected to surpass $200 million soon, just 10 days after its release.
- While the film is the lowest-grossing and lowest-rated installment in the franchise, it will still likely turn a profit and suggests that there is life left in the Hunger Games franchise.
For the second consecutive week, Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes secured the top spot at the North American box office, raking in an estimated $28.82 million over the weekend and a total of $42 million during the 5-day extended holiday frame. At $197.27 million, it is only a matter of time before the film’s global earnings will surpass $200 million, within just over 10 days of its release.
The cumulative box office around the world is remarkably even after last weekend’s split haul, with grosses of $98.37 million in North America and an estimated $98.9 million from overseas markets, which Lionsgate is sure to be thrilled by. In North America, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes played at 3,776 locations over the weekend, featuring 1,269 premium screens, encompassing 368 IMAX, 634 Premium Large Format, and 267 DBOX/4DX/MX4D Motion Seat Screens.
The franchise’s opening weekend did propel the Hunger Games franchise as a whole beyond $3 billion globally at the worldwide box office. However, it’s easily the lowest grossing film of the series, not the best received — it currently holds a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest in the franchise — and will struggle to get near any of the other films. It will almost certainly turn a profit for Lionsgate, though, and proves there is life left in the franchise, which began its onscreen journey over a decade ago.
What is ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ About?
Lionsgate’s latest addition to the Hunger Games franchise boasts a noteworthy ensemble cast. Adapted from Suzanne Collins‘ book of the same title, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes acts as a prequel to the original series, unfolding 64 years prior to the events of the first book. The film features Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem, who finds himself compelled to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (played by Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the humble District 12, in the upcoming 10th Hunger Games, at a time when the brutality of the Games has left audiences bored and uninterested.
As Lucy Gray captivates the audience of Panem, Snow seizes the opportunity to alter their destinies by proposing a raft of changes to the games to turn them into a spectacle, and once again capture the imagination of Panem. The cast also includes Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Peter Dinklage. The movie is directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously directed the final three films of the original series, while the screenplay is penned by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is currently playing in theaters. Here’s everything you need to know about the movie. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) — the last hope for the once-proud Snow family — who is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12 for the 10th Hunger Games. Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will become a songbird or a snake.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Director
- Francis Lawrence
- Cast
- Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Viola Davis, Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Burn Gorman, Fionnula Flanagan
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 165 minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
