Hollywood’s feast and famine before Thanksgiving, as ‘Hunger Games’ prequel tops box office

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” tops the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” topped the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters with $44 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It was a busy weekend at the multiplex, leading into the often lucrative Thanksgiving corridor. And while there was plenty to choose from at the buffet, not everything could be a hit. Audiences had “The Marvels,” which plummeted in its second weekend, as well as the nationwide debuts of the family-friendly “Trolls World Tour,” Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy “Next Goal Wins” and the R-rated slasher “Thanksgiving” all in wide release.

“The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is an interesting case study for a franchise that’s been dormant for 8 years and is testing the waters for a new era. Its $44 million from 3,776 locations, including 1,610 premium screens, marks a low for films carrying “The Hunger Games” in the title. The four Jennifer Lawrence films all broke $100 million in their first weekends (the high point was the first with $158 million in 2013, the low was the last one with $102.7 million in 2015).

But it's a more nuanced story for Lionsgate, which operates differently from legacy studios by licensing its titles to international distributors which helps cover a significant portion of the film's budget. The filmmakers kept this budget around $100 million, which was also offset by tax credits for filming in Germany.

With an added $54.5 million from 87 international markets, the film has already earned $98.5 million out of the gates. The studio considers it a strong start for the prequel, set 64 years before Katniss Everdeen entered the picture, with a new cast led by Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler.

Critics were mixed on this one, which is an origin story about future Panem President Coriolanus Snow. It currently carries a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Unlike many of its big-budget peers, “The Hunger Games” prequel also had the benefit of having its stars to promote the film in its lead-up, having secured an interim agreement before the SAG-AFTRA strike ended. In the still-fresh aftermath of the strike, other studios had to scramble to get their newly available stars out to promote their films before this weekend.

“Trolls Band Together,” the third in the animated series, opened in second place with an estimated $30.6 million in its North American debut, a total which includes profits from early sneak showings from Nov. 4. “Trolls” opened internationally earlier and is expected to cross $100 million globally this weekend.

The jukebox musical from Universal and DreamWorks Animation brings back Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake in main voice roles and also featured a much-hyped reunion of (asterisk)NSYNC. It also has a mixed 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, but its young audiences were much more positive giving it an A CinemaScore.

And after its rough start last weekend, “The Marvels” continued to disappoint, falling a steep 78% in its second weekend in North America with only $10.2 million from 4,030 locations. Internationally it added $19.5 million, bringing its global total to $161.3 million.

“The Marvels” was nearly bested by an R-rated Eli Roth horror, “Thanksgiving,” which made an estimated $10.2 million from 3,204 locations. The movie from TriStar Pictures and Spyglass Media Group takes place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a Black Friday tragedy and stars Patrick Dempsey and Addison Rae. The studio hopes it will draw college students to the theaters on their holiday breaks.

The Walt Disney Co. is also struggling with Searchlight Pictures' “Next Goal Wins,” its underdog soccer movie starring Michael Fassbender, which made $2.5 million from 2,240 locations in its first weekend. Directed by Taika Waititi and based on a true story, the film had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and was not well-received by critics. Next weekend, the studio has a new animated offering too in the fairy tale musical “Wish.”