With an estimated $155 million in ticket sales for its opening weekend, it may be surprising that students are giving “The Hunger Games” mixed reviews.
Based on the best selling book trilogy, “The Hunger Games” is set in a futuristic world divided by 12 districts that are run by an oppressive government that lives in its own district called the Capitol.
Each year the Capitol selects a boy and girl from each of the districts to fight to the death while the rest of the world watches on television. Katniss Everdeen, the books’ protagonist, choses to volunteer herself as a participant after her younger sister is selected, and thus, the game begins.
The announcement of the movie ignited sales of the midnight premiere with over 3,000 screenings happening on Thursday night alone.
Freshman Shelby Manly said although the campus was buzzing with excitement about Thursday’s premiere, the atmosphere at the theatre was more low-key compared to other premieres she had attended.
“Everything was a lot more chill than I expected,” Manly said. “We got there around 9:15 p.m. and were seated immediately. We didn’t even have to fight over our seats once inside the theater.”
Manly said she noticed the crowd also had good ratio of boys and girls attending the show.
“It was primarily a younger age group, but there was even a group of moms without their kids waiting in line,” she said.
Reagan Hester, a sophomore majoring in communicative disorders, said less people dressed up for the event compared to the Harry Potter premieres she had attended.
“I only saw two people dressed up, and they were both Effie Trinket,” Hester said. “It was definitely a more difficult movie to dress up for. The excitement level wasn’t really comparable to Harry Potter premieres, and Harry Potter will always win.”
The Lionsgate film earned $19.7 million in ticket sales on opening night, making it the highest grossing non-sequel film opening in history.
However, the movie’s $80 million budget still left some students unsatisfied with it in comparison to the book series.
“As a movie representation, it met my expectations, but still left me disappointed with some parts,” said Ann Marie Cooley, a freshman majoring in social work. “They did do a good job at representing District 12.”
Billy Swift, a sophomore majoring in computer science, said he didn’t like the choice of actors and the cinematography.
“The actors they chose for certain parts could be improved,” Swift said. “I didn’t like the camera angles, they were often too close up.”
Jacob Morrison, a freshman majoring in physics said he thought the movie portrayed the Capitol people well, but the main characters looked older than he had pictured.
“They did a good job following the plotline similar to the book, but there is definitely room for improvement in the following movies,” Morrison said. “It wasn’t as intense as the trailers and commercials made it appear, they only showed the intense scenes.”
For those who have yet to read the series, the movie still offers an appealing option for a Friday night outing.
Hannah Holt, a sophomore majoring in business, said she and her boyfriend enjoyed the movie though neither of them had read the series.
“I hadn’t read any of the books, but I definitely plan to now,” Holt said. “I’ve actually got the first one as of last night, and I’m ready to start reading.”
