The Hunger Games novels by Suzanne Collins have taken the world by storm, and now the movie could be a box office record breaker, as fans all over the world lined up for the premiere at midnight on Friday.
Fans flocked to the premiere on midnight on March 23, waiting in lines and dressing up as their favorite characters as they waited for the highly-anticipated movie to screen.
The Hunger Games was only projected to bring in about $70 million in its opening weekend but movie experts are now saying the movie could rake in anywhere between $125 and $140 million, less than the films $100 million budget.
According to Fandango, tickets for The Hunger Games were sold rapidly, with ten tickets sold every second and 2,500 theatres sold out, making the movie Fandango's third best-seller of all time after The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.
This would beat the only March premiere on the Biggest Weekends list in the box office records at spot number 10: Tim Burton's 2012 film Alice in Wonderland, which brought in $116 million. In comparison, the number one biggest weekend opener was in July 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II which grossed over $169 million.
View the slideshow to see photos of fans lined up waiting to see The Hunger Games around the U.S.
“The Hunger Games” novels by Suzanne Collins have taken the world by storm, and now the movie could be a box office record breaker, as fans all over the world lined up for the premiere at midnight on Friday as seen in this photo at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theatre in New York March 22, 2012.ReutersFans Adam La Brie (L) and Emily Joe wait in line for the midnight screening of "The Hunger Games" during opening night at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, California March 22, 2012. Reuters(L - R)Fans Tori Rogers, Lawreca Jones, and Serene Gord wear "The Hunger Games" t-shirts as they wait in line for the midnight screening of the movie during opening night at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, California March 22, 2012. ReutersThe Regal Cinemas is seen during the opening night of "The Hunger Games" in Los Angeles, California March 22, 2012.ReutersElizabeth Arellano and Sal Arellano pose for a photo in front of a movie poster of "The Hunger Games" at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, California March 22, 2012.ReutersMovie attendees enter a theater on the opening night of "The Hunger Games" at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, March 22, 2012. ReutersMovie attendees dressed as characters in "The Hunger Games" arrive for the midnight screening on opening night at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, California March 22, 2012. ReutersSierra Betinis dressed as the character Rue from "The Hunger Games" enters a lift on opening night at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, California March 22, 2012.Reuters(L - R)Fans Kyle Apuna, Sierra Betinis and Amanda Hearle dressed up as characters from "The Hunger Games" pose on the opening night at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, California March 22, 2012. ReutersMovie-goers stand near a clock counting down the time till the midnight showing of "The Hunger Games" at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theatre in New York March 22, 2012. The film is based on the popular young adult book series by Suzanne Collins. ReutersFans line up to see the midnight shows of "The Hunger Games" at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theatre in New York March 22, 2012. The film is based on the popular young adult book series by Suzanne Collins. ReutersFans line up to watch the midnight screenings of "The Hunger Games" at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theatre in New York March 22, 2012. The film is based on the popular young adult book series by Suzanne Collins.Reuters
