The Weekend Report

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire—no surprise—dominated weekend moviegoing with an estimated $159.7 million, which translates to about 67% of session sales. For the record (books) it’s the biggest grossing November opening, and if the numbers hold will rank fourth among all-time top grossing debuts.

Conversely, counterprogramming failed to ignite the other national frosh entry Delivery Man, which slotted into position four with an underwhelming $8.1 million.

In the niches there were only tepid results for new Bollywood releases. Romantic comedy Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (My Fair Lady, In Your Love) bowed with $211,000 at 112 venues and Hindi drama Sing Saab the Great grossed $133,000 from 52 engagements. There was also the unusual live global event celebrating the Golden Fiftieth anniversary of Britain’s “Dr. Who,” dubbed Day of the Doctor that occurred on Saturday and generated $204,000 from 15 U.S. phone boxes.

Also atypical was the single Hollywood screen engagement for next weekend’s Thanksgiving offering Frozen that dined on $234,000.

And in an unusually slim week for exclusive newcomers, real-life saga Philomena had reason for cheer with $124,000 tally from four screens.

Weekend revenues added up to roughly $240 million and an 82% jump from the immediate prior session. It was, however, 9% behind the 2012 session when The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2 arrived with $141.1 million and Skyfall added $41.1 million in its second weekend.

It was far from the terrible twos for The Hunger Games that trackers were pegging to do $150 million and were buoyed by Thursday previews of about $25.2 million. Internationally, the film actually bowed a week earlier in Brazil and this weekend added 64 territories and an estimated $146 million from other markets. Domestic exit polling provided  encouraging insights including a 50/50 split among the over/under 25 year-olds and a 59% female tilt compared to a considerably higher distaff skew from its first outing. A lot has transpired since Hunger Games arrived on the big screen including an Oscar for Katniss … so.

Based on the Canadian movie Starbuck, and from the same director, Delivery Man had a low bar to clear but came up short of expectations that were in the $10-$12 million neighborhood. The warm and fuzzy tale of a sperm donor who discovers bounteous returns drew a 50/50 male/female audience with 78% aged 26-years and older.

Also of note was the $1 million weekend for American indie The Christmas Candle, produced by politico Rick Santorum, that expanded from last weekend’s launch on five screens to 392 playdates.

In the awards sweepstakes Nebraska received a small boost and solid hold in a race that’s receiving unprecedented scrutiny along with Dallas Buyers Club (on a devilish 666 dates). The fates of early entrants including 12 Years a Slave and All is Lost are being pondered with many wondering whether any film can sustain prize momentum as new contenders arrive right up to the Christmas day arrivals of The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle.

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