Box Office Report: 'Hunger Games' Grosses Record $19.7 Mil in Midnight Runs

Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games earned $19.7 million in midnight runs, one of the best showings ever at the domestic box office as fans rushed to see the book-to-film adaptation.

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Hunger Games, playing in more than 2,500 theaters, scored the best midnight gross ever for a nonsequel and the seventh-best midnight gross overall.

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By comparison, The Dark Knight earned $17 million in midnight runs in 2008, and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith did $17 million three years earlier. The past three Twilight films all grossed $26 million to $30 million in midnight runs, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the all-time leader at $43.5 million.

Toplined by Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, Hunger Games is based on the best-selling young-adult novel by Suzanne Collins. Interest in the film is massive, according to tracking, with some box-office observers believing Hunger Games could open north of $130 million domestically.

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Hunger Games whipped up enormous presale business, breaking records for a nonsequel, according to online ticketing services Fandango and MovieTickets.

On Friday, Hunger Games moves into a total of 4,137 theaters, including Imax runs.