Lionsgate’s prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is expected to have a strong opening at the domestic box office, with an estimated $45 million-plus after earning $19.1 million on Friday. However, this seems to fall slightly below initial expectations, as pre-release tracking suggested the movie would take in at least $50 million. Despite this, Lionsgate remains hopeful that the film will approach $50 million, while rival studios anticipate it coming in between $46 million and $47 million.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes comes eight years after the last Hunger Games installment and 12 years after the first film hit the big screen. It received a B+ CinemaScore, which is the lowest rating of the franchise. The female audience made up the majority of Friday’s audience, comprising 64 percent.
Based on Suzanne Collins’ dystopian YA novels, The Hunger Games film series, starring Jennifer Lawrence, all opened north of $100 million domestically and collectively raked in $2.9 billion at the global box office.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is based on Collins’ book of the same name and features Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth in lead roles. The prequel also stars Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis, with Francis Lawrence returning as the director.
This Thanksgiving weekend, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes faces competition from Universal and DreamWorks’ Trolls Band Together and TriStar and Spyglass Media Group’s Thanksgiving, directed by Eli Roth.
Trolls Band Together earned $9.4 million on Friday for an estimated domestic opening of $30 million. The family film may not have impressed critics, but audiences gave it an A CinemaScore. It has already opened in several overseas markets and is expected to finish the weekend with a foreign tally of $76.3 million and $106.3 million globally.
The threequel sees Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake reprising their roles as Poppy and Branch and is also skewing female (69 percent).
In contrast, The Marvels is showing a steep decline of 78 to 80 percent in its second weekend, making it Marvel Studios’ worst second-weekend drop of all time. It is expected to earn $9 million to $10 million for the weekend, putting it in a potentially close race with Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is directed by Eli Roth, earned $3.8 million on Friday, and has a B- CinemaScore. This horror film is skewing male (56 percent).
On the specialty box office front, Oscar hopeful Saltburn opened in seven locations, with a promising per-theater average of $45,400. Additionally, other films, such as Apple Original Films and Sony’s Napoleon and Disney Animation’s Wish, are set to join the lineup for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Overall, The Hunger Games prequel, Trolls Band Together, and Thanksgiving are vying for the top spots at the box office this Thanksgiving weekend, with The Marvels facing a significant drop in its second outing. Moviegoers have a variety of options to choose from, and it remains to be seen how each film will fare over the holiday weekend.
