New Movies November 20: Hunger Games is Back
by EG
The fall doldrums at the box office may be coming to an end as the holiday movie season begins. The season's first blockbuster hits theatres this weekend, and even the second-tier new releases offer some star power that could appeal to audiences.
The big new release this week is the next -- and final -- installment in the Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. The first half of the franchise's final chapter was the lowest-grossing film in the series, but it still brought in $122 million in its opening weekend. Projections have this final chapter performing about the same as its predecessor.
The week's next new release is The Night Before, a raunchy holiday-themed comedy starring Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It won't challenge The Hunger Games for box-office supremacy, but it's likely to draw a sizable audience of moviegoers who like uncouth humor.
The week's final new release, Secret in Their Eyes, is a thriller about FBI agents attempting to find the murderer of one of the agent's daughter. It stars Julia Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nicole Kidman. This film fits neatly into the audience niche not served by the adolescent adventure of The Hunger Games or the adolescent-minded comedy of The Night Before.