Hunger Games catches fire at the box office

Hunger Games: Catching Fire' grossed $307m (€226m) in its opening weekend.

[comment] (Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson in 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire')[/comment]

The second in the series of film adaptations based on Suzanne Collins' popular novel trilogy pulled in the staggering amount at the global box office knocking comic-book epic 'Thor 2' - starring Chris Hemsworth - off the top spot and break a number of records.

'Hunger Games: Catching Fire' - which sees Jennifer Lawrence reprise her role as heroine Katniss Everdeen, the skilled archer who helps the oppressed residents in the fictional nation of Panem - became the highest earning debut for the month of November in the US and Canada by grossing an estimated $161.1m (€118.8m) when it hit screens last Thursday.

Phil Contrino, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com said: "The strength of the 'Hunger Games' franchise is not to be underestimated. This property has clearly expanded its fan base in a big way both at home and overseas."

[comment] (Jennifer Lawrence at the London premiere. Picture: Matt Crossick/PA Wire)[/comment]

The whopping sum smashes previous opening sales for 'Hunger Games' by more than $10m and the film not only scored the second-biggest debut of 2013 - behind superhero sequel 'Iron Man 3' - but also marked the fourth-biggest domestic film opening in US history.