MOCKINGJAY Helps Lionsgate Make $1B Bank
[via Deadline, Hollywood Reporter]
Lionsgate has skated past the $1 billion mark for the third year in a row, due mainly to the continuing success of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I.
The latest installment in the franchise has accumulated $334 million overseas so far, with a global box office estimated at $611.4 million. Box office numbers in Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Portugal, and others are higher than The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Top five foreign markets for Mockingjay are currently the UK, Germany, Australia, France, and Mexico. The film has yet to be released in Japan (June 5) and China (February 8).
This comes after Lionsgate stock dropped in price prior to Mockingjay‘s opening weekend, falling five percent on estimates that the film would not hit its expected $150 million opening. Wall Street analyst Eric Wold of B. Riley & Co. had cited bad weather on the East Coast and a lack of IMAX screens as part of the reason why Mockingjay wouldn’t perform to expectations from either the film industry or the press. He also noted the 69% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to Catching Fire‘s 89%.
Lionsgate’s success is also due to box office performance of Divergent, 12 Years a Slave, Pompeii, and Transcendence.
