Movie theater owners across the country are going to feast on the next installment of “The Hunger Games” — and not just with huge box office numbers.
Opening Nov. 22 with first weekend sales estimated at $140 million to $150 million, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is already almost sold out when it comes to pre-show ads.
“‘Catching Fire’ is going to be a huge weekend,” according to Jim Tricarico, chief revenue officer at Screenvision, the No. 2 seller of in-cinema advertising. “We are at sell-out. There is just a couple of spots left.”
The Lionsgate release is being seen by some on Madison Avenue as an early test of how eager advertisers are to pitch their products to young consumers.
Along with other fourth-quarter releases, the movie — starring Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and former Miley Cyrus fiancé Liam Hemsworth — is already buoying the cinema advertising market, Tricarico said.
The “Hunger Games” series, based on a book by Suzanne Collins, is hugely popular among young adults. The first “Hunger Games” installment rang up ticket sales of more than $400 million.
New York-based Screenvision, which operates in-cinema advertising on 15,000 screens in 2,400 theaters, sells a maximum of five minutes of commercials ahead of every movie.
While increased movie ads may not sit well with moviegoers, it is certainly happy news for theater owners.
Cinema advertising revenue is shared with theater owners, who also share a varying percentage of gross box office revenue.