Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Hunger Games Finale Starving for Audience as Studio Overestimates Weekend Take by Millions

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UPDATE The Friday number was $46 million, even lower than originally thought.

EARLIER I can’t remember the last time a series finale was less successful than its prior — or penultimate — episode. Such is the case for “The Hunger Games, Part 4, Mockingjay, Part 2.”

Two days ago there were weekend guestimates for this movie as high as $134 million. Then that came down to $121 million. Next, we heard $114 million.

Now the word is $104 million will be the top, and most of that will be reported this morning from a combination of Thursday and Friday nights.

Somewhere there was a big miscalculation about the interest in this film. Me, I am not surprised. The teens in my family were extremely apathetic about “MJ Pt 2.” They said the book wasn’t very good, and that it shouldn’t have been split into two movies. They could wait to see the finale.

Then comes Page Six’s report that the cast wouldn’t give red carpet interviews in New York this week, and were partying privately. In Los Angeles they wouldn’t give interviews, so the studio claimed it was in solidarity with the Paris shootings. Such hooey. What the heck do these things have to do with each other?

The principals are obviously so well paid and so over it they don’t care. Maybe they sense the audience doesn’t much either. We’ll see what the numbers are shortly.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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