Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, and further cementing Jennifer Lawrence’s superstar status, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 took the top spot at the US box office over the weekend, raking in $123 million. The third entry in the Hunger Games franchise, however, did see its numbers dip from the first two films, both of which made over $150 million in their opening weekend. However, the tally does mark the highest grossing opening for a film in 2014, and with a fourth entry in the franchise already given a release date, the relatively minor drop is unlikely to change any plans.
Last week’s box office champion Dumb and Dumber To, however, didn’t fare so well this time around, as it dropped to fourth place this weekend with a $13.8 million haul, marking a drop of 62%. The number two and three spot, however, continued to be firmly held by Big Hero 6 and Interstellar, respectively. The Disney feature drew in another $20 million over the weekend, while Nolan’s space epic finished off the weekend with an additional $15 million in its coffers. It’s interesting to note that this brings Interstellar’s domestic total to just over $120 million, a number that this weekend’s box office champion has already surpassed. The other big story among the top ten, however, is David Fincher’s Gone Girl, which retains its hold on the fifth spot among the box office top 10, bringing in another $2.8 million over the weekend. The Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything rounds out the top ten, making it in with $1.5 million over the weekend, while Nightcrawler and Ouija both slip out to make way for the newcomers.
Among the limited releases opening this weekend, the most notable one was Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Described as an Iranian vampire western, and shot in black and white, the Sundance sensation opened in two theatres, and took home $26,000. The other two multi-theatre limited releases, the documentaries Pulp and Happy Valley, both pulled in $22,000 and $9,500 respectively. Pulp opened in 36 theatres, while Happy Valley opened in four, alongside a VOD release.
The top ten earners at the US box office for the weekend is as follows:
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 — $123,000,000
- Big Hero 6 — $20,086,000
- Interstellar — $15,100,000
- Dumb and Dumber To — $13,820,000
- Gone Girl — $2,815,000
- Beyond The Lights — $2,630,000
- St. Vincent — $2,354,000
- Fury — $1,900,000
- Birdman — $1,855,000
- The Theory of Everything — $1,500,000