The latest film in “The Hunger Games” series fell short of its predecessors in its U.S. debut, held back by tepid reviews and the picture’s absence from higher-priced Imax screens.
“Mockingjay -- Part 1,” the first of a two-film finale from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., collected an estimated $121.9 million over the weekend in U.S. and Canadian cinemas, researcher Rentrak Corp. said today in a statement. While that marked the biggest domestic opening of 2014, it was shy of the $150 million-plus scored by two prior films in the series as well as forecasts.
