According the Entertainment Weekly ‘The Hunger Games’ brought in 19.7 million from midnight showings last night landing it at #7 for the hightest midnight total ever, and the highest midnight total ever for a non-sequel!

Last night, The Hunger Games grossed a truly staggering $19.7 million from midnight showings across the country — the highest midnight total ever for a non-sequel, and the seventh highest midnight total ever (behind three Harry Potters and three Twilights). After only a few hours, it’s clear that the film is already a smash, and it’s almost certainly headed for a debut well above the $100 million mark.

Sure, the overnight figure can’t compare to the $43.5 million that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 conjured up at midnight shows last year (on its way to $169.3 million — the highest opening weekend of all time), or the $30.3 million that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 found at midnight on its way to $138.1 million, but it’s likely that The Hunger Games, which doesn’t have the same amount of built-in sequel anticipation, won’t face the same weekend frontloadedness as those titles. Saturday and Sunday grosses should prove quite sturdy. Back in 2008, The Dark Knight earned $18.5 million at midnight, but still managed a stunning $158 million debut — the second highest debut of all time — proving that not every blockbuster makes a full 25 percent of its opening weekend gross at midnight.

Based on this $19.7 million figure, The Hunger Games should take in at least $50 million on Friday and could reach as high as $150 million over the full weekend frame — although that estimation is very bullish. My fellow box office prognosticating colleague John Young is predicting a more sensible $130 million weekend. We’ll have to wait and see see how high it climbs, so stay tuned to EW.com for box office updates throughout the weekend.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly Isabelle Fuhrman talks landing the role of Clove, training, what she’s looking forward to seeing in Catching Fire, and more:

What was your training like for Clove?
Originally, they wanted me to gain 10 pounds of muscle. And I only had two weeks to do that, which was impossible because I’m, well, very tiny. So they decided just to have me get leaner and more toned. So I ended up getting some muscle tone on me. Because the way Clove is described in the book is this big and burly character, and I’m so not. I really tried to compensate for that with my acting ability and become her physically as much as I can, do all my stunts, and learn how to actually throw knives and combat training and all that.

Learning how to throw knives — what was that like?
It was very interesting. I don’t have that strong of an arm, so it was starting with throwing a tennis ball at a target [with] the right form. And then move to a baseball. And then move to plastic knives. And then move to duct-tape-and-cardboard knives. And then move to the actual knives. A lot of it was physics, and knowing how much force to put on the knife. The knife goes three knife-lengths every rotation — a lot times I’d throw it, and it’d end up with the butt end in, and the blade would be sticking out. Which is not what you want to do.
So a lot of practice. I worked, as I said, for two weeks on really perfecting it because I wanted it to be as professional as possible. That’s what [Clove] has been training for her entire life.

By the end, how accurate were you?
I can throw right on. Bulls-eye, yeah. It’s very interesting, because now I have a lot better aim with throwing a tennis ball for my dogs. It’s definitely a skill I’m hoping to keep up with, even though it’s very odd.

You obviously know how important the books are to you, but when you signed onto the movie, did you realize how big it would become?
I knew that there was a large fanbase around it, because all of my friends were reading the books as the same time that I was. I think I guessed that this was a very popular book series. But I didn’t think it was this kind of caliber [of popularity]. I mean, my friend locked me in a bathroom for an hour-and-a-half to try to get me to tell her something about the movie. I’m like, “I can’t! I really can’t!”

For the full interview visit Entertainment Weekly

In an interview with E!Online directory Gary Ross and Josh Hutcherson weigh in on the romance aspect of ‘The Hunger Games’, specifically whether or not the cave scene with Katniss and Peeta was toned down:

As those of you who hit the theater at midnight last night know, the cave scene—while delivering on that much anticipated smooch between the couple now apparently dubbed Peetnis—is far less romantic that readers might have imagined.

Gary says he thinks the good stuff is still in there though.

“The cave is truncated to a certain degree but the book is also pretty clear that Katniss is in a place where you don’t know if she’s doing it for the cameras or doing it because she has actually feelings for Peeta,” Gary explained to us when we asked if he’d intentionally toned it down to distance H.G. from those other teen romance sagas. “She’s investigating the ambiguity of her own feelings at this point, so in that respect I think it’s faithful.”

He continued, “I don’t think that within the tone of the movie it would have worked for these things to be gushy, but I also don’t think that they really are in the book.”

All we’re saying is we’d have liked a kiss or two more, maybe. There was just so much hugging!

But Josh says there will be plenty more swoon-worthy moments in the next few films:

“I think that the romance, in my opinion, comes into play more in the second and third films,” he weighed in. “It’s definitely still in the movie and it plays a key part in getting to know Katniss more and getting to know Gale and Peeta as well.”

Read the full article at E!Online

In a new interview with Vulture Liam Hemsworth talks ‘The Hunger Games’, Gale and Katniss, getting to see his co-stars while promoting and more:

It’s clear that Gale adores Katniss, but why does he never act on it?
I think at this point, it’s not romantic at all for either of them. They’ve grown up together and essentially they’re best friends, more like brother and sister than anything. They’re living in depression and allowing each other to survive, and helping each other to provide for their family, and really just trying to stay alive. I don’t think it’s anything romantic at the moment that Gale has to watch his best friend go off and win this game.

But there’s still a twinge there when he sees her growing close to Peeta.
Yeah, I think there is, definitely. I think Gale feels confused when he’s watching these games. In the beginning, he doesn’t want anything to do with these games, he doesn’t want to be a part of it, he’s not going to watch. But once his best friend is in there and he can’t not watch, I think he thinks that Katniss has really become part of the game and she’s really playing, and I think he’s a little confused about what she’s doing with Peeta and why. But at the end of the day she’s just trying to survive, and I think when she comes home he knows that.

The movie’s got a big cast, but you only share your scenes with Jennifer Lawrence. Is it nice to be on a publicity tour where you actually get to hang out with the other people?
It is cool! I’m a big fan of so many people in this film. Woody Harrelson is one of my favorite actors of all-time, and I didn’t get to work on him with this and I was really bummed, but I got to meet him, and he’s such a good dude, and you know, Lenny Kravitz, too. It’s exciting to be a part of this whole ensemble, but frustrating at the same time that I didn’t get to work with everyone.

But there are still more movies in this series left to make, and you have the luxury of knowing what’s coming for you.
There’s a lot of stuff coming. I’m very excited about it. The third book I think is amazing, and obviously there’s a big uprising in that, which I think will be a lot of fun to develop and show.

For the full interview visit Vulture

Jennifer Lawrence appeared on Chelsea Lately last night, watch below!