Entertainment

'Catching Fire' Crushes Box Office On Day 1

Just in case you were already wondering: Yes, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is doing very well at the box office. According to Deadline, the film easily managed to dominate ticket sales for its Thursday night showings, which began around 8 p.m. in selected cities. So far, the film has already grossed $25.25 million from those showings alone — more than some films make during their entire opening weekend — and that number is, of course, expected to jump significantly today as the film just opened nationwide.

Even better: Those earnings apparently are up 28 percent compared to the first film's Thursday night showings, and it pretty much puts the film on track to earn the whopping $150 million that was estimated last month. In fact, it could be even more: Tracking at this early stage isn't always reliable, but it's being predicted that "this film could hit $160 million to 180 million for the weekend," if ticket sales keep going the way they're going. Not bad, Katniss, not bad at all.

Apparently, analysts are pretty sure at this point — considering star Jennifer Lawrence's fame and the success of the first film — that Catching Fire will eclipse The Hunger Games, which earned $700 million worldwide. "The appetite is stronger," one analyst commented, according to USA Today.

In other words: You go, Jennifer Lawrence.