‘The Hunger Games’: Could ‘Mockingjay’ Be The Highest Grossing Film Of 2014?

Advance tickets for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 went on sale this Wednesday and they are already breaking records.

MovieTickets.com, Fandango, and AMC Theaters have all reported that first-day presales for the latest installment of the Hunger Games franchise have surpassed that of any other film released this year, according to the Wrap. MovieTickets.com also mentioned that first-day presales for Mockingjay doubled the amount Catching Fire made in its first day of presales.

AMC Theaters is reporting that many fans are purchasing tickets for the Hunger Games marathon, which will show the first two films on November 20 beginning at 2 p.m. This marathon will take place at 250 AMC locations nationwide.

Box Office Mojo is predicting that the latest installment of the Hunger Games franchise could be the highest grossing film of 2014. That title currently belongs to Guardians of the Galaxy, which has earned $328.8 million.

Seeing as how the first Hunger Games film earned $408 million domestically while the second brought in $427 million, there’s a good chance that it could happen. But as Ray Subers reports, the film being split into two parts could also have a negative effect on it.

“The Twilight and Harry Potter franchises also split their final book into two parts: in both cases, the penultimate chapter experienced a slight decrease in domestic box office.”

Subers also mentions that the latest Hunger Games film won’t have the same help the first two received from IMAX theaters. Those will be showing Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, which releases two weeks prior.

But even without that extra support, Mockingjay is still forecasted to earn $385 million domestically. That is lower than what the previous two entries made but there is a possibility that the film could earn more than predicted.

“Ultimately, look for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 to earn anywhere from $350 to $400 million—perhaps a bit more, if it turns out to be as strong as the previous entries.”

And while Mockingjay is the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, director Francis Lawrence did discuss that there might be a way to continue the series with different characters. In a recent report from the Inquisitr, Lawrence mentioned that it may be a challenge, though, without its lead character, Katniss Everdeen.

“There are a lot of past games and a lot of this world, but without Katniss, is it the same? Part of what I like about the series is the connection to things we think about and talk about now. What’s the new version of that? That would be the tricky thing.”

Special showings of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 will run on November 20, and the film officially opens in theaters nationwide on November 21.

[Image credit: Lionsgate Films via The Verge]