'The Hunger Games' nets record 19.7 million dollars in midnight showings

New York, Mar 24(ANI): 'The Hunger Games' has hit the box office records with a 19.7 million-dollar start in midnight showings, according to Lionsgate, the studio behind the film.

This makes it the highest non-sequel midnight opening in history and the seventh highest ever.

'The Hunger Games' is set in a dystopian future where 12 to 18-year-olds fight to the death for the amusement of the capital city of an unrecognizable America - a battle in which heroine Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself a competitor.

The book trilogy by Suzanne Collins has 26 million copies in print in the US alone, and the movie adaptation has become a pop culture phenomenon.

Fans have been camping out for days across the country to catch a glimpse of Lawrence and co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth at premieres and autograph signings, the New York Daily News reported.

Industry insiders are projecting the film will easily pass the previous March opening record set by 2010's 'Alice in Wonderland's 116.1 million dollars.

It's also a legitimate threat to 'The Twilight Saga's' highest opening weekend haul, the 142.8 million dollars notched by 2009's 'New Moon'.

The all-time records, held by 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2', which earned 169.1 million dollars in its first weekend, last year is expected to remain intact. (ANI)