Lionsgate just blamed terrorists for The Hunger Games Mockingjay – Part Two’s bad box office

Hanna Flint

(Picture: Moviestore/REX Shutterstock)

The film studio behind The Hunger Games franchise has blamed terrorism for the lower box office performance of its final instalment.
According to Deadline, Rob Friedman, Lionsgate’s co-chairman of the Motion Picture Group, claimed that Mockingjay – Part Two’s ‘softer than anticipated’ revenue was partly down to the events surrounding the Paris Attacks.
The final film, in the dystopian franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, was released in November, the same month as the attacks.

Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes (R) and drummer Julian Dorio visit a memorial that pays homage to the victims of the terrorist attacks at Le Bataclan (Picture: David Wolff – Patrick/Getty Images)

It was the lowest-grossing instalment of The Hunger Games franchise, securing over $100 million less than what Part One earned, though it still made $652 million worldwide.
Speaking to Wall Street analysts, Friedman said the lower box office performance was down to ‘the combination of circumstances was unique between the terrorist attack in Europe and Star Wars.’
Lionsgate claim that because The Force Awakens did so well – its close to hitting $2billion at the global box office – it hit their numbers between ‘$50M and $100M.’
Tat may be true, but it doesn’t explain why Mockingjay – Part Two did less in China than The Last Witch Hunter.