Updated: Benchmarks we should celebrate as the marketplace looks to rebound after dual strikes that sidelined the box office: Lionsgate‘s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has crossed the $100M mark at the domestic box office yesterday in its 11th day of release. We also here the movie crossed $100M abroad yesterday so total global on Songbirds & Snakes is $200M.
The movie is the second for Lionsgate this year after John Wick: Chapter 4 to cross the century mark, that pic doing so in eight days. Songbirds & Snakes is also the 23rd movie in 2023 to cross $100M. Last year in 2022, there were only 18 films to gross north of $100M.
Yesterday, Songbirds & Snakes grossed $1.9M, -71% off from Sunday’s $6.6M. The Francis Lawrence directed prequel; the helmer’s fourth film in the Suzanne Collins series, surprised over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, reigning as the No. 1 champ with a $29M 3-day and $42.2M 5-day defeating newcomers Disney’s Wish ($31.6M) and Apple Original Production’s Napoleon ($32.7M).
While industry sources expect Songbirds & Snakes to decline -55% in its third weekend for a 3-day gross around $13M, don’t count the movie’s momentum out even though AMC’s Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce is arriving in theaters. The latter pic’s presales are very low, in the vicinity of West Side Story and In the Heights, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Songbirds & Snakes wins No. 1 for a third time in a row. Don’t put all your chips on Beyonce. Expectations for the concert-documentary movie have dropped down to $15M on the low-end, and it could be lower.
More in the weeds on Songbirds & Snakes: Hunger Games- Mockingjay Part 2 fell -49% between its opening weekend and 3-day Black Friday frame. Songbirds & Snakes had a better hold at -35%. Post Black Friday frame, Mockingjay Part 2 decline -63%.
Currently, Songbirds & Snakes is pacing 15% behind the second Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald movie, a Harry Potter spinoff, which through 11 days made $118.1M. That Warner Bros movie finaled at $159.6M. Given the holds that Hunger Games movies have throughout the holidays, it would not be a surprise if Songbirds & Snakes finals north of $150M. The pic cost just north of $100M before marketing costs.