There is nothing shocking about the top of Friday’s box office chart: eagerly anticipated “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” torched the competition with a $70.5 million bow.
Mildly unexpected, however, was the extent to which “Delivery Man” flopped as alternative fare.
Poor returns for this summer’s “The Internship” proved that Vince Vaughn’s days as a draw were behind him, but most were hoping for more than the $2.8 million that his new film earned Friday. The tally was only good enough for fourth place.
As for “Catching Fire,” while it did dominate, its total was not as remarkable as some were hoping. Its $70.5 million bow barely exceeds the $67.2 million earned by its predecessor on March 23, 2012. The minimal growth suggests that interest in the franchise had essentially reached a peak by the time the first film released.
“Thor: The Dark World” ($4.1 million) and “The Best Man Holiday” ($3.8 million) followed at second and third, respectively. “Last Vegas” placed fifth with $1.3 million.
