"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I" had a huge opening weekend grossing $123 million making it the biggest debut of 2014.
That number puts the third "Hunger Games" installment ahead of Paramount's June release, "Transformers: Age of Extinction" which opened to $100 million.
Despite that win, the opening weekend numbers for "Mockingjay" are lower than expected.
Estimates were calling for a $150 million weekend.
Instead, "Mockingjay" made less opening weekend than its previous two installments domestically.
Here are the box office numbers for all three films side by side.
| Movie | Opening Weekend | Worldwide Gross | Estimated Budget |
| "The Hunger Games" | $152 million | $691 million | $78 million |
| "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" | $158 million | $864 million | $130 million |
| "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I" | $123 million | $275 million (so far) | n/a |
"Mockingjay" is already performing better overseas than at home. What's going on?
There are a few reasons for its weaker performance stateside. The film had competition from "Big Hero 6" and "Interstellar" and received worse reviews than the previous two installments. "Mockingjay" was also the first big release in theaters since 2009 to not get an IMAX release. Instead, all IMAX theaters will continue playing Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" until "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" debuts next month. The Wrap reports IMAX screenings contributed over $12 million to the box-office opening for "Catching Fire" last year.
SEE ALSO: Our review of "Mockingjay"
AND: Read the letter that landed Donald Sutherland his role in "The Hunger Games"
