The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Lawrence Tucci - H 2013
LionsgateLionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire sold an estimated 3.9 million DVD and Blu-Ray units in its first weekend of North American release, the company announced on Tuesday.
The sequel — starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson — hit a new record for digital sales for the company, growing 40 percent over the first Hunger Games film. The company didn’t share specific digital sales numbers for the film, which was released on March 7, but said the record was driven by No. 1 openings on all major digital platforms, including iTunes, Xbox, Amazon, Vudu, Comcast Xfinity, Verizon FiOS, Google Play and Sony Entertainment Network, among others.
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“This is a monster opening and a tremendous result for the second film in a franchise, underscoring the enormous momentum of The Hunger Games films,” said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate president and general manager of home entertainment sales and distribution. “Opening weekend packaged media sales of Catching Fire were comparable to the first Hunger Games title released nearly two years ago, while digital sales grew by nearly 40 percent. With strong increases in digital revenue and Blu-Ray accounting for 50 percent of packaged media sales, the opening weekend performance is driving significant margin growth and is a testament to the strength of the franchise.”
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire grossed $424 million at the North American theatrical box office, the 10th highest-grossing domestic release of all time, marking the first time that the first two installments of a franchise grossed more than $400 million at the domestic box office.
The next two Hunger Games films, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Parts 1 & 2, will be released on November 21, 2014 and November 20, 2015, respectively.
