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Lionsgate’s hotly anticipated The Hunger Games today 
held the first stop on its national mall tour with major talent in tow. The fan event at the Westfield Century City mall was mobbed because of the prospect of a meet-and-greet with director Gary Ross and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson. The movie doesn’t even open until March 23rd but already it’s selling out tickets online and tracking huge. The mall tour will include stops in Atlanta, Seattle, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Previous: ‘Hunger Games’ Comes On Tracking Huge.
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Greeeeeat, another Twilight
Did you even bother to read the books? The story has nothing to do with Twilight. The Hunger Games is much more closer to the japanese novel/movie Battle Royale.
Pretty sure he’s talking about all that craziness that comes with these girls nowadays.
Wrong Peter. I’ve read the books’ synopses on Amazon and it’s basically a survivalist version of Twilight. A teenage girl who’s “special” and is stronger and more tough than any man (in the story) who winds up having to save some weak guy and falls in love with him.
More estrogen-aggrandizing fodder for tween-teen females. I can only wonder what the next generation of women in their twenties will be like after having grown up on all this grrl-power mind rot.
Wrong JaySmack.
You’ve obviously haven’t paid close attention to the books and just want to rant out your misogynous thoughts. The book makes a huge point that Katniss wasn’t particularly special. It was by sheer chance that she becomes such a figurehead in the story. That adds a stark, dark realism to the story that has disappointed some people, because she isn’t as heroic or “special” as you claim she is.
Katniss isn’t the most tough character in the series by any measure. She avoids careers because they are much stronger than her and she avoids close combat when she can. Peeta is also not weak, as he’s shown to have impressive amount of strength that.
DO your research before making such ignorant remarks.
Amen..Well said.
… She’s an impossibly good shot – so much so that she’s ranked as the deadliest of all the competitors, she has Bear Grylls level survival skills, and she’s stunningly beautiful. Not your average 15-year-old.
Call me a pessimist but I always read the lower scored “readers reviews” on Amazon before I invest time in a book. In addition to that I read blog reviews and one in particular was very disturbing by a mother who apparently after reading the book felt it was very important to make sure any child of hers did not get away with just reading the books without subsequent discussion. In other words she shared the opinion that at the heart of the book lay some very disturbing sub text by the conclusion of the trilogy. Suffice it to say I wont be investing any time READING the books but I will probably watch this film because I am intrigued by the resumé Jenifer Lawrence in compiling. Bottom line the story sounds reckless and feeds into many young peoples’ propensities for nihilism.
You really, really shouldn’t comment about the content of a book having read its synopsis on Amazon. That’s like me taking one look at you and deciding you’re a tool
What a lame response. You read the synopses? Brutal. Every generation has movies like this – I think bringing back the mall tour is an amazing idea. HG is popular. It’s fun. It’s exciting. It’s commercial. Sue us. You were 14 once, remember? I’m sure you weren’t lining up to watch The English Patient.
Use other garbage Hollywood movies to present this kind of argument. Which is also tired. We know we’ve had a less than stellar run as of late. But do you remember the eighties?
Actually, I loved English Patient at 14. No, wait, I think I was younger than that when it came out. It ruled. You don’t need to denigrate a solidly acted/produced film to make a point about how much you happen to like your favorite movie. It diminishes your words and your message. I’m looking forward to Hunger Games, but that doesn’t mean that all 14 year olds are infantile and only read YA fiction. Hunger Games won’t compare to Battle Royale or any of the other more brutal film journeys involving teens (Winter’s Bone being a great recent example). It’ll be fun, fluffy, popcorn, and entertaining. It doesn’t have to be deep to be entertaining. That said, it’s not the be all end all, and if I WAS still 14, I’m sure I wouldn’t be lining up to see it – I’d be too eager for Elizabeth, Primary Colors, and A Simple Plan, the three films I loved the most that year.
@ Whatever: LOLOLOLOL!!!
you’re taking yourself way too seriously man. I love the English Patient as well.
Twilight is about love, this is about murders(
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Katniss is not special in any sort of way – she went into the Hunger Games to save her sister from being brutally murdered on live TV. Plus, reading the synopses? Try reading the actual books. The “weak guy” isn’t weak. He’s a strong guy that can handle the situation he’s in.
If you want to compare two books, make sure you know what happens in it before jumping to conclusions.
Uhhh. And what does that make Katniss then? Chopped liver? How is she not brave for enduring the games? She proves herself to be very special and brave and heroic for how she faces, risks death for others. I mean sure she’s a selfish ass sometimes, but a flawed hero is still a hero. Katniss whooped a lot of butt in HG. That is not to be denied.
So yeah…very special imo.
Even if that was true, how is that anything like Twilight? I’m no Twilight fan but I know that the story is nothing like that. Get your facts straight, read the books and THEN comment.
You read a synopsis? Try reading the books before you jump to conclusions. I’ve read both series and there is absolutely no comparison. The only thing they have in common is that the lead character of the story is a strong minded girl. Other than that there is nothing in those stories that remotely have anything to do with one another. And p.s. Peeta is definitely no weakling. If you read the last book of the series, “Mockingjay” you know what we who HAVE read the books are talking about.
It is great actually! I think it was Spielberg who said when one movie does well at the b.o., it’s good for all movies, especially one that gets young people into the theaters. Why anyone would complain about this who cares about the movie *business* is beyond me; oh, and furthermore, Hunger Games is a much better property in quality than the Twilight franchise.
Totally agree, Cookmeyer. If you’re even tangentially a part of the movie biz, this should be great news. More kids at the Cineplex means more revenue for everyone.
Why not compare it with Titanic instead? There was a huge amount of frenzy after the movie opened. Besides, The Hunger Games is a far, far, far, faaaar superior series than Twilight.
Well said
Looks much, much better than Twilight (granted, that’s not exactly a high bar.)
The Hunger Games is a violent, brutal and adult themed book that has YA trappings but seems to be written primarily for boys 16 and up. The reason the girls in that picture are flipping out is because the male actors of the film are consistently idolized by young girls. Saying that Katniss is special is far from true. She just happens to be a good shot…just like most females in the military. Girls read the book because the author of Twilight gave it a good review and they will read anything in the YA section at Barnes and Noble. The book is featured in the main curriculum for many school districts. Twilight is not. And there in lies the main difference, The Hunger Games is written well and Twilight is not. Don’t compare one thing to another if you possess little to no knowledge about either of them.
The hunger games has nothing to do with vampires or werewolf’s. The hunger games is politically correct in the way that the “President Snow” is actually like a dictator.
CAN NOT WAIT. I’m starving for THG!!!!!
Team Peeta! Break me off a slice of dat! Mmm Mmm
Battle Royal rip off…so I read the books and I liked them, but it’s still a rip off…
You could argue ‘Battle Royale’ was a rip-off of Stephen King’s ‘The Long Walk’, which while it didn’t have the kids killing each other, they had to walk 4 miles per hour until there was one standing.
Or you could argue King ripped off the game of free-for-all dodgeball where kids brutally throw balls at each other’s heads until there is only one left.
There are often story elements that are the basis for other stories, the quality of it is determined by the characters, setting, plot, and dialogue.
Very smart creative-business plan (and fortunate timing).
Those who grew up with Harry Potter, reading the 1st one at around 10 yrs old, are now around 20-years old, right in line with what they’re targeting as demos, I’d imagine.
Who knows? They may even surpass Twilight. The Twilight flicks have been so front-loaded, thanks to the hype over substance. I don’t think the Hunger Games movies will come close to the opening weekend grosses of Twilight, but maybe they’ll beat ‘em in end-run totals.
Target demo is more around 12 to 14 for the books, they are written in a very basic and childish style, like a 6 year old trying to tell an epic story. But the films should work with older people as well.
in the same way Harry Potter did. Those books, too, are written in a very childish style, but also did quite well in theaters (and everywhere else, apparently). I assume this will be similar in that regard.
Geez relax Peter – grab another Twinkie and enjoy your reruns of star trek
Mall tours?! Ha! What is this, New Kids On The Block via 1990?
s
Whatever! I think they have the right stuff.
No, it’s 2012, and it’s called Grass Roots Marketing. And it seemed to work… 1000 screaming kids showed up.
They’re certainly using the Twilight model. Which is pretty much a no-brainer. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Gotta love J-Law!
It may be a “Battle Royale rip-off” and all, but how many people read — or even heard of — the novel before The Hunger Games?
That’s not to diminish BR or to say that popularity outweighs copyright/IP rights, but I think people are going overboard with this charge.
the book? Um…it was a movie, too. It was 8 in the 10 highest grossing Japanese films of all time. Pretty sure some people saw it. America isn’t the only country in the world, ya know.
Cool story bro.
Cruelty in a fashion means today?
The awful book, with an awful plot!
Nothing is more terrifying than an army of screaming teenage girls.
Seriously does anyone else feel like the picture above is straight out of a zombie flick?
Picture caption: BRAAAINS!
Hey, superchopper-mock if you like, but the mall tour thing is the right tactic for this demo. Where else would they go to meet this audience group? Seems to be the right thing, with numbers tracking so high.
Biggest movie of the year. Bigger than Avengers, bigger than Batman, bigger than Twilight.
No…it will do well, but it certainly is/wont be the biggest movie of the year. Dont be stupid.
Bigger than Batman and the Avengers? You wish buddy.
Gee jay nice comment you chauvinist. FYI Bella had no special powers…she sat there while vampires and werewolves fought over her for some innocuous reason or anything special about her. Katniss is smart strong and uses her brain for the good of society and you have something against that??? Don’t like the books don’t read um. And if you are that upset by movies using a structure that’s tried and true to make money…leave the business dismantle your “production company” in your apartment and stop reading deadline. Also good luck finding a girlfriend with that attitude and I pray to god u don’t have children.
Ah yes. By the look of that picture, this movie’s hard play to get men to watch is obviously paying off.
[sarcasm off]
Look at all those idiots. P.T. Barnum was right.
From that photo, this movie has done the impossible: teenage girls without a cell phone in one hand.
Congrats.
I’m upset! I live in Denver, CO and it’s not on that list.
I do have to say Suzanne’s rather tepid statement after seeing the film has me worried. It doesn’t sound rousing or passionate. I hope very much I’m wrong.
If my wife and I raise our young daughter not to behave like those mindless, sad girls in the photo, we will have succeeded as parents.
Post-apocalyptic gladiatorial killing for girls — yecch.
Surprised to see so many people calling The Hunger Games a rip-off of Battle Royale when, if anything, it’s an homage to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” a 1949 short story about a town that holds a drawing every year to determine which of its citizen’s will be put to death.
I’m surprised to see so many people claiming The Hunger Games is a rip-off of Battle Royale. If anything, I found it to be an homage to Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, a 1948 short story about a town that holds a yearly lottery to determine which of its citizens it will sacrifice to ensure a good harvest.
Yes, God knows what could happen if women grow up believing they are just as smart, strong and capable as men. Such grrrl power self-aggrandizement must stop immediately!
Um no. The hunger games is NOTHING like twilight if your going to post something atleast know what your talking about because now you just look stupid.
What it says before posting a comment “don’t get your facts wrong” And the amount of people comparing it to Twilight.
I get that you can compare it in terms of popularity but that’s all.
The stories are totally different. Although there is a love triangle it is only a subplot! The people comparing it to Twilight have obviously not read the Hunger Games Series for example JaySmack who only read the synopsis on Amazon -_-