Catering to hip tastes and influential music writers–but not necessarily the masses–the Lorde-curated “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” is on pace to set a new opening week sales low for the franchise.
According to Hits Daily Double, the acclaimed release, which features contribution from Kanye West, HAIM, Tove Lo, CHVRCHES, Charli XCX, Ariana Grande, Grace Jones and many more, is on pace to move just 20-25,000 copies in its first week of release.
That anticipated tally is a far cry from the 55,000 initially moved by the soundtrack to 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which featured Coldplay, Sia and Lorde herself. It can barely even be compared to the 175,000 first-week sum for the first “Hunger Games” soundtrack, which most notably featured Taylor Swift.
The estimate could certainly grow in conjunction with the film’s release later this week, but it will doubtfully rise to a level one could accurately call sizable.
The soundtrack’s promotional campaign began with Lorde’s lead single “Yellow Flicker Beat.” It caught immediate fire at the alternative format before coming to an absolute halt just a few weeks later.