The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2

Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns has made his intentions known to produce a series of prequels also taking place in the Hunger Games universe. In his words, and this is verbatim, the franchise “will live on and on and on.”

As expected, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 topped the box office charts this weekend. But like the war in the movie itself, it all feels like something of a hollow victory. That may seem like a weird thing to say about a movie that broke $100 million in its opening weekend, but this is a new low for the series’ box office receipts…and it’s not even close.

Today brings the wide release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 (or, as I have taken to calling it for clarity’s sake, Hunger Games 3 2) and while American fans have been worked into the customary new-premiere frenzy, Hungermania has spread across the four corners of the globe. One of the many secrets to the franchise’s continued success has been its international appeal, the themes of freedom’s triumph over oppression resonating with audiences across Europe, in East Asian markets, and just about everywhere else that movie projectors roll. But a global presence can highlight some curious cultural differences.