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How big is "The Hunger Games" in Tulsa?
Published: 3/26/2012 3:58 PM
Last Modified: 3/26/2012 3:58 PM

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson play Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in "The Hunger Games."

"The Hunger Games" caught fire in its opening weekend, with its $152.5 million total for Friday through Sunday ranking as the third-largest in Hollywood history, behind only the final "Harry Potter" film and "The Dark Knight."

The movie, as well as the book, has proven to be huge for Tulsa-area readers and watchers. Read below for more details on the local level.

The "Hunger Games" opening weekend set records in categories including the largest ever for a non-sequel motion picture and easily the largest for a film not released in the summer months.

By this upcoming weekend, "The Hunger Games" will pass "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" as the top film featuring an action-adventure heroine, with Jennifer Lawrence playing Katniss Everdeen, the lead character in Suzanne Collins' book series.

A film adaptation of the trilogy's second book, "Catching Fire," is scheduled for a November 2013 release in theaters.

"The Hunger Games" took advantage of the spring break week to entice teen, tween and adult fans of the books to visit multiplexes in droves.

Tulsa theaters were filled throughout the weekend, with Cinemark Tulsa topping out during last Thursday's midnight premiere showings, beaming the film's digital signal to each of its 17 auditoriums and selling out all of them, managers reported.

The film's momentum has been building for months, with a skillful marketing campaign that supplied images of the lead characters interacting in teaser trailers, but never providing a look at the "arena" scenes of combat.

Katniss is one of 24 teen competitors forced to fight one another to the death in the story's dystopian storyline.

The books have continued to be wildly popular, with sales of Collins' books doubling since the film’s first trailer premiered, according to reports.

In Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library on Monday reported there were 796 "holds" on copies of "The Hunger Games" in various formats, including books, audiobooks, playaways and more, said Emily Tichenor, the library's teen services coordinator.

There are several hundred more holds on "Catching Fire" as well as third and final book in the series, "Mockingjay," she said.

"We are big, big fans and think the impact of this series will far surpass 'Twilight,'" Tichenor said via email, referencing the popular series of vampire/romance books that have been turned into films.

"The Hunger Games" won the 2011 Sequoyah Award as the statewide favorite book among students in intermediate grades (6-8) and high school (9-12).

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I See Movies for Free

“I was born a poor, black child” … not me, actually, but Steve Martin’s character in the “The Jerk.” That absurd opening line is just one of the absurd number of film facts, quotes and minutiae contained in movie critic Michael Smith’s brain, at his disposal to toss out on a moment’s notice. It’s a key requirement as Tulsa World film critic to know these things. Michael learned a few other life facts along the way (seven years as a Crystal’s Pizza & Spaghetti manager) before attempting journalism and joining the Tulsa World in 1996, where he’s covered everything from a school shooting in Fort Gibson to a tornado in Stroud to witnessing an execution. A little community theater coverage was sprinkled in there, too. Movies engender many of his happiest memories, from standing in line for “Star Wars” and “Grease” at the Southroads Cinema to the James Bond and Pink Panther movies that always premiered at the enormous Continental Theater.

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Archive

Past Articles By Michael Smith

2/16/2013		Broken Arrow movie theater moves to discount showings
2/15/2013		Review: 'Amour'
2/15/2013		Review: 'A Good Day to Die Hard'
2/15/2013		Review: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/14/2013		Review: 'Quartet'
2/14/2013		Shirley MacLaine to speak at Osage Casino
2/14/2013		Weekly rewind: February 14
2/14/2013		REVIEW: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/12/2013		Belgian best picture hopeful 'Amour' opens in Tulsa on Friday
2/10/2013		'Die Hard' marathon at AMC Southroads on Wednesday ends with new film
2/9/2013		Review: 'Identity Thief' a stupid movie from stupid idea
2/8/2013		Oscar audit: Critics choices for best picture hold up over time

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