The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is on its way to winning its opening weekend at the box office. The Hunger Games prequel, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, earned $19.2 million on Friday (including $6 million in Thursday previews). That sets it up for a weekend total hovering around $45 million. That's below its $50+ million projections, but not by much. Whether it's enough to serve as the cornerstone of a new and expanding Hunger Games franchise remains to be seen. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes tells the tale of events that put Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) on the path to becoming the dictator ruling over Panem, much of which involves Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zeglar), a tribute participating in the 10th Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has been mostly well-received by critics. ComicBook.com's Jamie Jirak awarded the film 4.5 out of 5 possible stars in their review. She writes:
"If you're a fan of The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is going to transport you back to Panem with great ease. The film is daring, engaging, tense, and even occasionally funny. It's no easy feat to make a prequel that's just as good, if not better, than the films that came before. However, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes manages to outshine both Mockingjay films while giving The Hunger Games and Catching Fire a run for their money. Not only is The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes faithful to the book, but it showcases one of the best casts of the year. If you have any affection for this franchise, you won't want to miss the newest installment on the big screen."
Trolls Band Together will open in second place at the box office. The Marvels will suffer a significant drop in its sophomore outing, landing in third place after delivering the Marvel Cinematic Universe's weakest opening weekend at the box office. Eli Roth's holiday horror movie Thanksgiving will find itself in fourth place, while Blumhouse's Five Nights at Freddy's adaptation manages to stick around in the top five for another weekend.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Trolls Band Together, The Marvels, Thanksgiving, and Five Nights at Freddy's are all in theaters now. The list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend is in the works.