Juggernaut hit film “The Hunger Games” was the top earning movie for a third weekend in a row, scoring $33.5 million in theaters across North America, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The movie blockbuster, which opened with a record $152.5 million two weekends ago, raised its total to $302.8 million, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said on its website.
Legions of fans have flocked to see the movie, based on a book by Suzanne Collins, in which a teenage girl played by Jennifer Lawrence fights to win a death match TV reality show featuring children in a post-apocalyptic world.
It far outpaced the sequel which opened this weekend of the popular movie “American Reunion.”
The film — the sequel to the 1999 hit “American Pie” about teenage boys who vow to lose their virginity by prom night — opened with a strong $21.5 million. In the movie, which takes place more than a decade after the original, the friends return to East Great Falls, Michigan for a high school reunion during which they discover how they changed over the years.
The third place film at the box office was the 3D-enhanced version of 1997’s “Titanic” mega-hit pulled in $17.4 million. The re-release of the epic romance starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet coincides with the centennial of the sinking of the doomed liner of the same name that killed more than 1,500 people.
“Wrath of the Titans” came in fourth place, earning $15 million. In the fantasy sequel to 2010’s “Clash of the Titans,” the gods lose control over the imprisoned Titans, and Perseus is called upon to save mankind.
“Mirror, Mirror,” a modern take on Snow White starring Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen, made $11 million for fifth place.
Sixth place went to the youthful policemen of “21 Jump Street,” a big screen adaptation of the 1980s TV series, which pulled in $10.2 million.
The film stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as underachieving cops sent on an undercover counternarcotics mission at a high school and so far has raked in nearly $109.6 million.
Dropping two spots to seventh was the animated film “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” with a $5 million weekend take and nearly $198.2 million in the bank after six weeks on the big screen.
“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” Lasse Hallstrom’s feature about a fisheries expert’s bid to bring the sport of fly-fishing to the desert, grabbed $975,000 to land in eighth.
The Disney critical flop — and huge loss-maker — “John Carter” came in ninth, with just $820,000 in its fifth weekend in theaters.
The film about an ex-Civil War soldier magically transported to Mars is based on books by “Tarzan” author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Disney expects to lose $200 million on the movie in its second fiscal quarter.
Rounding out the top 10 was CIA-themed thriller “Safe House,” starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. It took in $580,810 during its ninth weekend on the Silver Screen.