‘Hunger Games’ Hits 3.8 Million in DVD Sales Over Weekend

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (LGF) reported DVD and Blu-ray sales of 3.8 million units for “The Hunger Games” in its first weekend, bolstering revenue for a film that brought in almost $700 million at theaters.

The movie also generated record on-demand and digital sales for Lions Gate, which released “The Hunger Games” on Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iTunes, cable on-demand services and Microsoft Corp.’s Zune Video on the Xbox console, according to a statement today.

“The Hunger Games,” based on the Suzanne Collins young- adult novel, cost about $78 million to make, according to Box Office Mojo. The sequel, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” will begin shooting next month and be released in November 2013, Vancouver-based Lions Gate said.

Lions Gate rose 2.8 percent to $14.27 at the close in New York. Shares of the company, run from Santa Monica, California, have risen 72 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Turner in New York at nturner7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net