‘Mockingjay’ dominates box office with $121.9 million

Associated Press

Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 | 5:16 p.m.

Katniss Everdeen took down Optimus Prime at the box office.

"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1" opened with $121.9 million over the weekend, topping the record $100 million debut of "Transformers: Age of Extinction" to make the "Hunger Games" sequel the biggest opening of the year.

Despite clinching the record, "Mockingjay" starring Jennifer Lawrence as rebellious Katniss Everdeen opened below the $158 million debut of last year's "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and the $153 million opening of the 2012 original film.

Disney's "Big Hero 6" came in second place with $20.1 million in its third weekend at the box office, while Paramount's "Interstellar" launched in third place with $15.3 million after three weeks in orbit.

Universal's "Dumb and Dumber To," last weekend's box office victor, slipped to fourth place with $14 million.

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The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak, are:

1. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1," Lionsgate, $121,897,634, 4,151 locations, $29,366 average, $121,897,634, 1 week.

2. "Big Hero 6," Disney, $20,124,166, 3,650 locations, $5,513 average, $135,746,235, 3 weeks.

3. "Interstellar," Paramount, $15,341,167, 3,415 locations, $4,492 average, $120,933,234, 3 weeks.

4. "Dumb And Dumber To," Universal, $14,076,545, 3,188 locations, $4,415 average, $57,729,445, 2 weeks.

5. "Gone Girl," 20th Century Fox, $2,836,019, 1,609 locations, $1,763 average, $156,844,231, 8 weeks.

6. "Beyond The Lights," Relativity Media, $2,634,224, 1,766 locations, $1,492 average, $10,128,001, 2 weeks.

7. "St. Vincent," Weinstein Co., $2,249,311, 1,707 locations, $1,318 average, $36,507,962, 7 weeks.

8. "Fury," Sony, $1,942,949, 1,720 locations, $1,130 average, $79,193,067, 6 weeks.

9. "Birdman," Fox Searchlight, $1,853,664, 862 locations, $2,150 average, $14,405,771, 6 weeks.

10. "The Theory of Everything," Focus Features, $1,511,676, 140 locations, $10,798 average, $2,807,853, 3 weeks.

11. "Nightcrawler," Open Road, $1,213,633, 1,102 locations, $1,101 average, $27,175,216, 4 weeks.

12. "Ouija," Universal, $979,005, 1,341 locations, $730 average, $49,573,170, 5 weeks.

13. "John Wick," Lionsgate, $876,324, 972 locations, $902 average, $40,610,025, 5 weeks.

14. "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas," IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films, $651,276, 391 locations, $1,666 average, $1,912,263, 2 weeks.

15. "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Horrible Day," Disney, $612,169, 754 locations, $812 average, $63,302,458, 7 weeks.

16. "Rosewater," Open Road, $567,038, 371 locations, $1,528 average, $2,065,933, 2 weeks.

17. "The Judge, The," Warner Bros., $551,293, 505 locations, $1,092 average, $45,339,013, 7 weeks.

18. "Whiplash," Sony Pictures Classics, $495,369, 331 locations, $1,497 average, $3,191,431, 7 weeks.

19. "Guardians Of The Galaxy," Disney, $491,661, 324 locations, $1,517 average, $331,062,444, 17 weeks.

20. "Foxcatcher," Sony Pictures Classics, $436,562, 24 locations, $18,190 average, $784,269, 2 weeks.