According to a story in the March 26, 2012, issue of
USA Today, "
The Hunger Games thundered to the third-best debut in history this weekend with $155 million, launching a franchise that could challenge the
Twilight series. The film "exceeded most analysts' highest expectations and marked a huge opening for a movie that is not a sequel. The two films with bigger debuts are
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 ($169.1 million) and
The Dark Knight ($158 million), a sequel to
Batman Begins."
Lionsgate plans to release Part 2,
Catching Fire on November 22, 2013.