Can ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Hit Some Very Big Box Office Targets?

Can ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Hit Some Very Big Box Office Targets?

It’s already clear from pundits we’ve talked to and early estimates that, barring a disaster, Lionsgate‘s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will do better during its opening weekend in North America than its predecessor, which opened to $ 152.5 in March 2012. And its international box office will be equally huge, with its Friday bow launching a day-and-date blitz here and in 64 other territories including the UK, Germany and China.

But how much better is better? Matching the first pic’s three-day total already would make Catching Fire the top-grossing November opener of all time, according to Rentrak data; the current record holder is Summit’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which nabbed $ 142.8M in 2009 in a month that has been heavy in recent years with Harry Potter and James Bond pic openings. What about Catching Fire‘s prospects to become the biggest opening-day grosser of all time? That record belongs to Warner Bros’ franchise-ender Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part II, which cumed $ 91.1M in July 2011; the first Hunger Games grossed $ 67.3M on its first Friday, so the sequel — which is getting near-universal strong reviews — will have to get legs to catch that one. Of course, the big-daddy record is top opening weekend of all time, the mark set in May 2012 by Marvel’s The Avengers, w hich grossed $ 207.4M on 4,349 screens, followed on the list by this year’s Iron Man 3 ($ 174.4M), Deathly Hallows Part II ($ 169.2M) and a pair of Chris Nolan’s Batman pics (The Dark Knight Rises with $ 160.9M and The Dark Knight with $ 158.4M). Deadline’s readers are as astute as any tracking service we’ve seen, so tell us: Does Catching Fire have the chops (and the strategy) to challenge the biggest of the big boys?

Related: International B.O.: ‘Hunger Games’ Catches Fire In Brazil

Deadline.com