An opening weekend can make or break a film and often dictates whether or not it will be profitable for the studio that produced it. With Avengers: Infinity War exceeding expectations and shattering box office records, there’s no better time to look at some of the other films that have had record-setting opening weekends at the box office.
Unsurprisingly, comic book movies dominate the list and 9 of the 15 films featured are properties that are owned by Disney proving that their acquisitions of the Marvel and Star Wars franchises were a smart move for the media giant.
Without further ado, here is Goliath’s list of The 15 Biggest Box Office Opening Weekends Of All Time.
15. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Opening Weekend: $158,074,286
The second installment in the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire takes place months after the first film as we catch up with Katniss Everdeen and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark as they return home after winning the annual Hunger Games. The film received positive reviews and is generally seen as an improvement over the first, with Jennifer Lawrence being praised for her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen.
The film had an impressive opening weekend, earning $158 million at the domestic box office and crushing the competition, with Thor: The Dark World coming in a distant second with $14 million (to be fair, that film was in its third weekend). The Hunger Games: Catching Fire would go on to earn $865 million at the worldwide box office on an estimated $140 million budget.
Via Variety