Lionsgate’s highly anticipated film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, came very close to reaching the $100 million mark in its opening weekend. It fell just short with an estimated global total of $98.5 million through Sunday. While the Francis Lawrence-directed prequel exceeded expectations overseas, pulling in $54.5 million from 87 international box office markets, it couldn’t quite match projections in the domestic market, grossing $44 million instead of the hoped-for $50 million+.
The international market saw strong openings for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The film debuted at number one in the UK with an impressive $6.7 million, and also claimed the top spot in Germany with $4.8 million. In China, it secured the third position with $4.5 million, while in France and Mexico, it topped the charts with $4.1 million and $3.7 million, respectively. Overall, Latin America saw overperformance, indicating a positive reception among audiences in the region.
It is worth noting that the Chinese market had mixed results for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. While there is no official Maoyan audience score yet, critics on Douban have given it a rating of 7.1, which is on par with the first film in the franchise. However, this rating is not the lowest in the series. Maoyan, the popular Chinese ticketing platform, currently predicts a final gross of $7.1 million, which would be the lowest among all Hunger Games titles released in China. Nevertheless, considering the evolving landscape of Hollywood in China and the shift towards locally-driven content, these numbers are not entirely unexpected.
In IMAX theaters worldwide, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes achieved a global bow of $7.3 million. Of this total, $3.2 million came from 74 overseas markets, with China contributing $700,000, representing 15% of the film’s nationwide total. The IMAX release provides audiences with an enhanced cinematic experience, further immersing them in the dystopian world of Panem.
Following its underwhelming debut, Disney/Marvel’s The Marvels experienced a significant 67% drop in its second weekend overseas. This steep decline marks the largest dip for a sophomore frame of a Disney MCU film to date. Despite this setback, the film still managed to add $19.5 million across 52 material markets, bringing its international cumulative total to approximately $96.3 million. Globally, The Marvels’ earnings now stand at $161.3 million. Notably, several markets showed strong holds, including France, Germany, Spain, the UK, Australia, Korea, Brazil, and Mexico.
Universal/Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s continues to frighten audiences and dominate the horror genre in 2023. With a global gross of $271.8 million as of now, the film has surpassed The Nun 2 to become the highest-grossing horror film of the year. In this session, it added $9.9 million from 78 overseas markets, experiencing a 52% drop from the previous weekend. Its offshore total now stands at $139.2 million, performing similarly to The Nun 2 and The Conjuring 2, and outperforming Annabelle Comes Home and Insidious: The Red Door in the same markets at this point in their respective releases. Moreover, Five Nights at Freddy’s has also surpassed Glass to become the second highest-grossing Blumhouse film internationally, and it currently holds the position of Blumhouse’s second highest-grossing film worldwide, trailing only Split.
Notably, Five Nights at Freddy’s achieved a strong debut in Korea, earning $2.5 million, marking the best Hollywood horror opening of the year in the country. It claimed the top spot at the box office, surpassing the opening weekends of Annabelle Comes Home, Insidious: The Red Door, and The Nun 2. This success highlights the enduring popularity of the horror genre in Korea and suggests that the film resonated with local audiences.
While The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes fell just short of the $100 million milestone in its global opening weekend, it still achieved impressive results both domestically and internationally. Its strong performance overseas, particularly in markets like the UK, Germany, and France, bodes well for its future box office prospects. Meanwhile, Five Nights at Freddy’s continues to scare up success, surpassing expectations and cementing its place as a horror powerhouse. As the film industry navigates an evolving landscape, these latest box office figures provide valuable insight into audience preferences and trends.