“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” kicked off with a bang, raking in a massive $161.1 million at its first domestic weekend at the box office. The film based on Suzanne Collins’s novel, “Catching Fire” is one of the biggest hits this year and the biggest November debut in history. The second installment in “The Hunger Games” trilogy boasts with the fourth highest domestic opening ever. The top contenders are “The Avengers” with $207 million, followed by “Iron Man 3” at $174 million and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II” at $169 million.  “Catching Fire” is also the second highest opening title at the box office for 2013, the Jennifer Lawrence -starring movie sits behind Robert Downey Jr’s “Iron Man 3”. The second instalment attracted more youngsters and men, contributing to their box-office success. This time round woman viewers declined with 12% compared to the first installment.

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“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” Part 1 is set to be released in 2014, and Part 2 in 2015

Internationally, “Catching Fire” garnered $307.7 million thanks to fan hype, marketing campaigns and promotional appearances. “Thor: The Dark World” slides down to second place, with “The Best Man Holiday” moving in to third place. The Vince Vaughn comedy “Delivery Man” opened with $8.2 million in its debut weekend, landing in fourth place.

Quick look at the top-grossing pictures in North American theaters, courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

  1. “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” – $161.1 million
  2. “Thor: The Dark World” – $14.1 million
  3. “The Best Man Holiday” – $12.5 million
  4. “Delivery Man” – $8.2 million
  5. “Free Birds” – $5.3 million
  6. “Last Vegas” – $4.4 million
  7. “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” – $3.5 million
  8. “Gravity” – $3.3 million
  9. “12 Years a Slave” – $2.8 million
  10. “Dallas Buyers Club” – $2.8 million