'Mockingjay' triumphs with $123M, but series slips

Turns out the only thing that could beat The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 was past Hunger Games.

Mockingjay — Part 1 exploded at the top of the weekend box office charts with an impressive $123 million, the highest opening weekend of 2014, according to studio estimates from tracking firm Rentrak.

But the third in the Lionsgate franchise did not reach the giddy heights of its predecessors.

The Hunger Games' 2012 franchise opening brought in $152 million, while 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire scored $158 million.

Each installment doesn't need to top its predecessor financially, producer Nina Jacobson told USA TODAY last week.

"Of course, you always hope that every movie outperforms the last," Jacobson says. "But when you are dealing with the kinds of numbers we've been blessed enough to have, if (we) can get into the ballpark, that's pretty darn good."

BoxOffice.com analyst Phil Contrino points out that Mockingjay was up 4% internationally from Catching Fire, taking in $152 million.

"The last movie was so massive, it created these huge expectations," Contrino says. "But Mockingjay is still massive and it did very healthy overseas. There is absolutely no reason to panic about this franchise."

Mockingjay — Part 1 earned a murky 67% approval rating from critics on RottenTomatoes.com. It also slipped with audiences, earning an A-minus on CinemaScore. Both past installments earned a solid A grade.

Lionsgate made the decision to split Suzanne Collins' final Mockingjay book into two parts. Mockingjay — Part 2 is out in November 2015.

Rentrak's Paul Dergarabedian notes that the final chapter could "easily build in 2015. Never underestimate the power of this brand. It's a worldwide phenomenon."

Disney's Big Hero 6 took a distant second place with $20.1 million, giving the animated hit a $136 million total haul. Interstellar took third with $15.1 million ($121 million total). Dumb and Dumber To placed fourth with $13.8 million ($57.5 million total).

Gone Girl rounded out the top five with $2.8 million giving it $157 million in eight weeks of release.

The weekend also played prominently for award contenders.

• The Stephen Hawking love story The Theory of Everything continued to expand, now reaching 140 theaters across the country and generating $1.5 million (nearly $11,000 a theater) for a total of $2.8 million since opening limited Nov. 7. Theory expands to 700 theaters Wednesday.
• Foxcatcher continued to pull in moviegoers in its limited release, with $474,339 on 24 screens ($19,764 per screen average). The film had earned critical plaudits for its stars — Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo — and will continue to expand over the Thanksgiving holiday.