Weekend Box Office: Hunger Games Setting Box Office Aflame

Vampires and werewolves, eat your hearts out... or each other's hearts out... or whatever it is you do. The Hunger Games have arrived and they are showing the Twilight franchise what box office success really looks like.

After a strong start on Friday, The Hunger Games held on to enthralled audiences through Saturday and Sunday for an estimated $155 million debut, the third highest all-time opening weekend behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169 million) and The Dark Knight ($155 million). When you narrow the field down to non-sequels, The Hunger Games is the highest opening ever by a wide margin ahead of 2010's Alice in Wonderland ($116 million).

According to Box Office Mojo The Hunger Games' success is also a financial coup for Lionsgate Films who don't often get to attach their name to major block busters. The studio's previous top grossing entry was Farenheit 9/11 which took in a grand total of $119 million domestic in 2004. In just three days The Hunger Games has easily topped that, and as a nice bonus this weekend's haul handily covers the film's $80 million budget and certainly the additional costs behind its massive marketing scheme.

October Baby debuted quietly in The Hunger Games' shadow, opening in just 390 theaters but still managing to take in $1.7 million to take eighth place.

For a full run down of the weekend's top ten, check out the chart below:

1. The Hunger Games * $155,000,000 Total: $155,000,000 LW: N     WR: 1     THTRS: 4,137

2. 21 Jump Street $21,300,000 Total: $71,051,000 LW: 1     WR: 2     THTRS: 3,121

3. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax $13,100,000 Total: $177,300,000 LW: 2     WR: 4     THTRS: 3,677

4. John Carter $5,014,000 Total: $62,347,000 LW: 3     WR: 3     THTRS: 3,212

5. Act of Valor $2,062,000 Total: $65,942,000 LW: 5     WR: 5     THTRS: 2,216

6. Project X $1,950,000 Total: $51,752,000 LW: 4     WR: 4     THTRS: 2,065

7. A Thousand Words $1,925,000 Total: $14,926,000 LW: 6     WR: 3     THTRS: 1,787

8. October Baby (2012) * $1,718,000 Total: $1,718,000 LW: N     WR: 1     THTRS: 390

9. Safe House $1,400,000 Total: $122,600,000 LW: 7     WR: 7     THTRS: 1,330

10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island $1,373,000 Total: $97,155,000 LW: 8     WR: 7     THTRS: 1,340