The release of The Hunger Games did not fall during the summer blockbuster season; in fact, even its April release slot was specially cleared by Warner Bros.
Today, Hollywood is churning out more big-budget films than ever, but the North American market capacity hasn't noticeably increased, and annual audience numbers are even showing a slow decline. Securing good box office performance is thus heavily dependent on choosing an optimal release date.
The competition for release dates in Hollywood has become intense, with every film vying for favorable slots to claim a bigger share of the box office.
Originally, The Hunger Games release date belonged to Warner Bros.' sequel fantasy film, Wrath of the Gods, but because the first installment, Clash of the Gods, had received a poor response, Warner decided last year to push Wrath of the Gods back to the fall, freeing up the spring release for The Hunger Games.
This teen-targeted film has garnered much attention.
In fact, since the release of Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 last year, the promotional campaign for The Hunger Games has been gaining momentum.
One of the key promotional strategies at the time was showing an ad for The Hunger Games during Breaking Dawn - Part 1 screenings.
Since both films share similar audiences, this cross-promotion was one of Hollywood's oldest and most trusted marketing tactics.
The Hunger Games quickly captured the attention of teenagers.
In keeping with current social trends, the film was openly branded early on with a slogan resonating with the times: a "new feminist film." This designation stirred considerable anticipation among female audiences.
As the start of the entire series, the success of The Hunger Games was crucial to future plans, so Matthew invested substantial resources into the film's promotion. From the moment of its debut, marketing efforts for the series have been nonstop.
In the last month before release, advertisements and previews appeared everywhere in America's three largest newspapers, the four major TV networks, and eight prominent websites. Posters were displayed in every notable public space.
Warner Bros. not only created posters for the main characters but also for all the districts, including the destroyed District 13, each with its own unique design and concept art. On the official website, they even launched the "Choose and Quickly Fall in Love with Your District" campaign.
Matthew also had a mockingjay pin designed for the heroine Katniss, which was heavily promoted as a symbol of bravery, conviction, and freedom—qualities highly relevant to the feminist movement.
Jennifer Lawrence often said in promotional interviews, "I love this pin and everything it stands for! Wearing it is a tremendous honor!"
The extensive marketing and alignment with current social values garnered The Hunger Games an extraordinary level of interest.
Beginning in February, Matthew organized numerous pre-screening events for media and fans, generating an overwhelming response.
"I can honestly say I love The Hunger Games. It captures the essence of the book, and Jennifer Lawrence and the cast give solid performances."
"The film blew me away—dark, thrilling, and an ambitious sci-fi series."
"The Hunger Games is fantastic; fans won't be disappointed. It's intricately structured and suspenseful."
"Jennifer Lawrence nailed it; she embodies the essence of Katniss."
While the preview buzz was somewhat exaggerated, reactions from book fans online were largely authentic.
And if nothing else, the numbers don't lie.
Warner Bros. originally set a target of about $40 million for The Hunger Games' opening weekend, with an estimated North American box office goal of around $150 million.
However, twenty days before the release, on the first day of online pre-sales, the film shocked Warner Bros. and everyone else.
To everyone's surprise, within 24 hours, hundreds of advance showings sold out, prompting theaters to add even more showtimes, which continued to sell without trouble.
Fandango's General Manager and Executive Vice President, Rick Butler, said in an interview, "The opening of The Hunger Games is phenomenal. It's the best first-day pre-sale performance we've seen in our company's 12-year history."
Within a week of pre-sales, The Hunger Games surpassed $20 million in North America.
Industry-wide, there was widespread amazement. It was clear that Matthew had struck gold with another franchise. Even more enviably, the novel trilogy was already complete, so a successful film series could follow.
In Hollywood, nothing is more lucrative than a film series!
Handling a film's release is never simple. Despite Warner Bros. being the distributor, Matthew still paid close attention to the marketing and adjusted strategies based on data.
Market research showed that the film was likely to appeal primarily to female audiences. Nearly 60% of the interested viewers were young women, compared to less than 40% for Twilight back in the day.
Women were anticipating The Hunger Games with the enthusiasm usually reserved for a blockbuster sequel; the first Twilight film didn't come close to generating this level of interest.
Pre-sales continued to break records, soon surpassing $35 million.
This was the result of several factors, including effective marketing and the built-in appeal of the book's fanbase. The biggest contributor, however, was the rapid growth of online ticket sales.
As time goes on, online sales are expected to have an even greater impact. However, by industry regulations, production and distribution companies are not allowed to participate directly in theater business, not even as shareholders.
Hollywood studios can only collaborate with websites.
Many of the industry regulations affecting film are not formal laws, but violating them can still lead to serious trouble.
Thanks to impressive pre-sales and widespread anticipation, Matthew and Warner Bros. hosted a grand premiere for The Hunger Games.
On the day of the premiere, Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue were packed with people, resembling the scene of an Oscar night. Fans and media flocked to the newly renamed Dolby Theatre.
A large number of female fans turned out, chanting slogans related to feminism.
Each era brings with it films that capture the spirit of the times.
To promote the film, Matthew even made a personal appearance and accepted media interviews at the premiere.
"Mr. Horner, the pre-sales for The Hunger Games are off to such a strong start..."
After a few questions about the film's production, a reporter turned to the marketing side. "Was this within your expectations?"
"The Hunger Games has had a magical opening," Matthew replied simply. "The results have exceeded our expectations; it's one of the best pre-sale records I've seen, and that's for a non-sequel film."
Of course, without the original novels, The Hunger Games wouldn't be where it is today.
After leaving the interview area, Matthew entered the Dolby Theatre's VIP room, where he spotted Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara approaching.
"Hi, Kevin," Matthew greeted him, shaking his hand.
"Congratulations, Matthew," Kevin said, envious. "You've unearthed another blockbuster franchise."
Matthew smiled, "Congratulations to both of us—it's a win-win."
Kevin laughed. "You're right, a win-win!"
Distributing a film involves much less risk than producing one, and it also includes a nice cut of the revenue.
Based on the pre-sales, Kevin estimated that the film's opening weekend would reach at least $120 to $130 million in North America.
It could go even higher.
Matthew continued mingling with other guests, many of whom eyed him with a mix of admiration and envy.
With a modest budget of $80 million, The Hunger Games was practically guaranteed to surpass $100 million in its opening weekend—a feat that many lifelong filmmakers could only dream of achieving even once.
Matthew didn't care much for others' opinions. After years of hard work, he had established his own influence in Hollywood. Not even someone like Harvey Weinstein could easily challenge him.
Soon after, the author of the original novel, Suzanne Collins, approached him, playfully complaining that the movie's rating was too mild.
The book's descriptions of the gory scenes were much more explicit than what appeared in the film.
This restraint was intentional; after all, if a movie targeting young female audiences were rated R, it would be a tragedy.
Books and movies are two different mediums. The film aimed to portray a unique female character rather than focus on violence.
That said, some action and battle scenes were still included, some of which were intense and borderline graphic. But they were kept within MPAA's acceptable limits, making it easy to secure a PG-13 rating.
Truthfully, the MPAA had evolved with the times. Today's PG-13 rating is more lenient than it was decades ago.
To put it in perspective, The Dark Knight would have been rated R by pre-2000s standards.
After greeting many invited guests, Matthew barely had a moment to breathe when he noticed a tall, slender blonde woman standing in front of him.
"Hi, Matthew," she greeted him warmly.
"Good evening, Taylor," Matthew smiled back.
Standing before him was Taylor Swift, who performed the theme song for the film.
But she wasn't alone; a group of elegantly dressed women or, more accurately, girls, was gathered around her.
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