‘Hunger Games’ sales rise in Thailand amid arrests

First-day ticket sales of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1," from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (LGF), in the country were up 20 percent to 13.6 million baht ($415,000) from the last episode, "Catching Fire," a year ago, said a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be identified. The early results suggest sales of "The Hunger Games" won't suffer, and may even benefit, from a crackdown in Thailand, where it's being used as a symbol by opponents of a coup that occurred in May. The film was pulled from at least one theater in Bangkok after students taking inspiration from the film series were detained for flashing Katniss Everdeen's three-fingered salute of defiance -- a gesture banned in Thailand shortly after the new leaders took over. "Banning the film will only heighten interest in ‘Mockingjay' in Thailand," said Jeff Gomez, chief executive of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a movie marketing consultant. "Whether it's pulled from one theater or all, it's too late, because social media has already galvanized a deep connection with the picture." In South Korea, sales surged 41 percent on opening day from the previous one, according to Lions Gate. The film opened on Nov. 20 in Hong Kong, where students are protesting election rules, and is planned for an early 2015 release in mainland China, though a date is not set. "Mockingjay - Part 1" has cleared censors in China, the world's fastest-growing movie market, the person said, despite its themes of rebellion against military rule. Global Sales "Mockingjay - Part 1" is the third of four films planned in the series. It opened yesterday in U.S. and Canadian theaters. The first two movies generated $1.56 billion in global ticket sales and helped drive an almost quadrupling of Lions Gate's stock from January 2012 to December 2013. Lions Gate, based in Santa Monica, California, fell 5 percent to $33.25 yesterday in New York, as analysts suggested bad weather in much of the U.S. may affect opening weekend ticket sales for what's projected to be the year's biggest film. "Mockingjay - Part 1" is projected to generate $150 million on its debut weekend, according to BoxOffice.com estimates. The studio's tracking suggests $130 million to $150 million, it said. Elsewhere, ticket sales are up more 10 percent or more versus "Catching Fire" in the U.K., Germany and France, according to Lions Gate. In Russia, the box office was up 28 percent in its first two days, and in Latin America, the film was up 40 percent to 55 percent, Lions Gate said. Source: Bloomberg