The END of The Hunger Games franchise! But for realz....?
You're watching Beyond The Trailer's review of Mockingjay Part 2...
Yes, you'll notice that the ad campaign for Mockingjay Part 2 hasn't focused on the franchise
coming to an end, but instead the journey of Katniss Everdeen. That's because if you
look at distributor Lionsgate's stable of films, they really are the house that The
Hunger Games built. And like any studio that's been built by a single franchise, they are
loathe - and unlikely - to let it go. Plus Lionsgate doesn't even have any franchises
to lean on. Divergent has sprung a box office leak, as has The Expendables, but perhaps
Now You See Me will magically turn into a franchise with its sequel set to hit theaters
this coming summer. But speaking of box office leaks, The Hunger Games seems to have sprung
one itself. While the first two films opened at around one hundred and fifty million, Mockingjay
Part 1 debuted with thirty million less - and the latest industry projections have Mockingjay
Part 2 coming in below that. What a time for star Jennifer Lawrence to be asking for money,
right?! Male movie stars might make more money, but their box office performances are heavily
scrutinized as a result. Rarely are jokes made at the expense of female talent when
one of their movies fails to open big at the box office, with perhaps only Angelina Jolie
the only shoulder Lawrence will be able to cry on. Yet even Jolie has never posted numbers
like Lawrence has with Hunger Games and X-Men Days of Future Past, and with Lawrence being
very vocal about not just being paid less so far but making decisions about future movies
largely based on the size of the paycheck offered, everyone will be watching very closely
as Mockingjay Part 2, X-Men Apocalypse, and Passengers with Chris Pratt debut to see if
she's indeed worth the extra cash. But perhaps what has jeopardized Mockingjay Part 2 the
most is that a large number of moviegoers simply didn't enjoy Part 1 - and this franchise
could become a warning against not only breaking up a final book into two parts, but also against
shooting those two films back to back which doesn't allow any room to course correct if
mistakes are made. Lionsgate has also moved very aggressively against online coverage
with this latest installment, creating far less conversation online for Mockingjay Part
2 in comparison to previous entries - from both professional outlets and fans. So, are
the odds still in this franchise's favor? Or has its image transitioned to one more
inline with the Capital than the Rebellion?