Deadline is reporting that The Hunger Games is tracking huge. The first set of tracking numbers came in this morning and they’ve created quite the buzz around Hollywood. With 23% ‘First Choice’ and 54% ’Definite Interest’, I think it’s safe to say that Lionsgate is now in the clear, with some studio execs putting the opening weekend total as high as $70 million.
“It’s every bit as strong as Twilight and, numerically, stronger,” one rival studio told Deadline. “The numbers, while they definitely skew to young females, look strong across all quadrants.”
Of course, this really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. This franchise is going to be massive, likely bigger than Twilight. For one, the source material is far better than Twilight and two, it appeals to a bigger audience. Twilight mainly targeted teenage girls and while The Hunger Games is definitely strongest in that demographic, I know a ton of adults and a ton of males who love the series as well.
Its story is more universal and relatable too, which should help it draw in a larger audience. Plus, the film itself will likely be a lot better than the horrid Twilight movies. The core trio of actors (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth) are a lot more talented than the three stars who lead the Twilight series.
Though I do believe that The Hunger Games will ultimately be the more successful film series of the two, it will still be interesting to see just how well it does.
With the March 23rd release date not too far away, we’ll have some definite answers pretty soon.