ettore canaveral: 'Hunger Games' Bests 'Twilight' In Early Ticket Sales

Saturday, February 25, 2012

'Hunger Games' Bests 'Twilight' In Early Ticket Sales

March 23 release tops first-day advance-sales record set by 'Eclipse.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Josh Hutcherson in "The Hunger Games"
Photo: Lionsgate

Fans of "The Hunger Games" are hungry to get their hands on tickets to the film. Presales for the flick have surpassed a record previously held by the third film in the "Twilight Saga" phenomenon, "Eclipse."

Fandango reports that the first day of presales for the film, which kicked off Wednesday, had already led to hundreds of sold-out showtimes in advance of the flick's March 23 opening day. "Eclipse" broke the first-day advance-sales record back on May 14, 2010. In the wake of the overwhelming interest in "Games," many theater owners have added more showtimes to keep up with the pace.

" 'The Hunger Games' is off to a fantastic start," said Rick Butler, executive vice president and general manager of Fandango. "Yesterday, we saw the biggest first-day advance-ticketing sales in our company's nearly 12-year history — which is especially impressive for a March release and a non-sequel."

With so much anticipation building, two new TV spots were released Wednesday. They feature lots of the film's leading lady, Jennifer Lawrence, as well as some more sneak peeks into how the rest of cast will look in the Gary Ross-directed big-screen adaptation. The 30-second clips also include glimpses at the action, heartbreak and strength of Lawrence's Katniss character. Of course, there's also some hot-guy eye candy, with quick glances at Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson.

Before the film hits theaters, the three leads — Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth — as well as much of the supporting cast will embark on a U.S. mall tour. It will hit eight cities, kicking off March 3 in Los Angeles and wrapping up March 10 in Seattle.

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."

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