A press release from Lionsgate (via Wall Street Journal) on the much anticipated DVD/Blu-ray release of the Hunger Games movie plus news about Suzanne Collins' involvement in Catching Fire.
As "The Hunger Games" approaches $400 million in domestic box office
receipts, the studio behind the film is busy plotting the series' three
remaining installments—and already running into a few hurdles.
In addition to hunting for a new director, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
is working to develop a script for the second film, "Catching Fire."
The studio must also plan "The Hunger Games" home-video release and
figure out how to roll out the remaining three films in a way that
dovetails with the finale of the "Twilight Saga" franchise, which Lions
Gate acquired when it bought Summit Entertainment.
For "Catching
Fire," now in preproduction and expected to hit theaters in fall 2013,
Lions Gate—also known as Lionsgate—lost the director of the first film,
Gary Ross, who issued a statement earlier this month saying he couldn't
work on the studio's time table.
Lions Gate, which said at the time that it was sorry Mr. Ross had
chosen not to direct the film, is now close to a deal with Francis
Lawrence, whose previous projects include "I Am Legend" and
"Constantine," according to people familiar with the matter.
Given the monumental success of the first film in the series, Lions
Gate has at stake the potential for billions at the box office and
beyond. "The Hunger Games," which cost $80 million to make, has grossed
$360.2 million at the domestic box office during its first five weeks,
with world-wide receipts now totaling $577 million. And it became the
first film since 2009's "Avatar" to top the box office for four
consecutive weeks.
"It's an anchor tenant" for the next several years, said Lions Gate Vice Chairman Michael Burns, referring to the series.
That performance may help Lions Gate join the elite ranks of
Hollywood's most powerful entities—the six studios known in the industry
as "majors." Speaking at this week's CinemaCon trade show, John
Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, noted
that "The Hunger Games" had the biggest March opening ever, at the same
time that Lions Gate acquired rival independent studio Summit.
"We may just be witnessing the arrival of a seventh" major movie studio, Mr. Fithian said.
One issue that is under control: All the primary "Hunger Games" cast
members are signed up for the entire four-film series, so none are
likely to follow Mr. Ross to the exit.
But the studio has yet to finalize a script, now being written by
"Slumdog Millionaire" writer Simon Beaufoy. The author of the series,
Suzanne Collins, will have input, as she did with the script for the
first film.
"I would call it a collaborative effort," said Rob Friedman, Lions
Gate motion picture group co-chair, referring to Ms. Collins's
participation. "Suzanne has always been very, very involved."
The massive success of "The Hunger Games" will doubtless create
momentum for the sequels—a good thing for the studio, since it probably
won't be able to rely on the same marketing playbook it used for the
first film.
A central component of the marketing strategy for "The Hunger Games"
was boosting book sales, particularly as new titles in the series were
rolled out. With no new titles remaining, Lions Gate will focus on
pumping up book sales internationally, in hopes that it can draw an even
more global viewership for "Catching Fire," Mr. Friedman said.
The studio will also rely on the DVD
release of "The Hunger Games" to fuel anticipation for "Catching Fire," a
strategy it credits with helping make the second "Twilight" film an
even bigger success than the first. Due to the first film's exceptional
box office performance, the studio is considering pushing the DVD
release to five months after its theatrical opening, as opposed to the
usual four-month window, according to people familiar with the matter.
That time frame would also allow it to take advantage of back-to-school
momentum in the retail environment.
Mr. Friedman vows to be "very aggressive" in pushing DVDs at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
and other retail outlets.
Still, while plans proceed
full-steam-ahead for "Catching Fire," Mr. Friedman cautioned against
looking too far into the future. "We're still in the afterglow" of "The
Hunger Games," he said, before quickly correcting himself. "We're still
performing great, so we're still in the glow, I should say."
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