On Friday, March 23rd, The Hunger Games made history in the box offices. The book turned movie made a staggering $59.3 million dollars, and ended the opening weekend with an overall $214 million dollars. The movie critics are expecting it to make much more as it continues to attract a wider audience week after week.The movie alone got a 4 out of 5 stars.

The Cast of The Hunger Games includes:
Jennifer Lawrence- Katniss Everdeen
Josh Hutcherson- Peeta Mellark
Liam Hemsworth-Gale
Woody Harrelson-Haymitch
Elizabeth Banks- Effie
Donald Sutherland- President Snow
Lenny Kravitz-Cinna
Willow Sheilds- Primrose Everdeen
Amandala Sternberg- Rue
Alexander Ludwig- Cato

Actor Josh Hutcherson who plays one of the main character comments,“I have never met a director that has such a clear vision for what he wants and how he wants the sets to look.” Director Gary Ross has been in this industry for a long time and he knew how he wanted the movie to be made. “I [Ross] just love the story and wanted to show people my version of the story” says Ross at the Hunger Games premiere. Ross, director and writer of The Hunger Games has also directed movies Big, Pleasantville, and Seabiscuit.

The story takes place in a futuristic world 2,000 years in the future in a country called Panem, which use to be North America.  In this country, they have 12 districts (similar to states.) Each district represents a different social ranking.  The higher the district, the more impoverished the district  tends to be.  Every year, the Capitol (center and commanding Panem) hold the Hunger Games. The Capitol takes one female and male between the ages of 12 and 18 to compete and fight for their lives.  In the arena where the Games are held, there are 24 tributes all together.

When Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) little sister, Primrose, name gets called to go to compete in the 74th annual Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers herself instead of her sister to spare her sisters life.  She has to leave District 12 and go to the Capitol with the other tribute from District 12, Petta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson.) In the movie, viewers see Katniss’s journey through the Capitol leading up to the Games and her adventures inside the Games.

The movie is full of surprising twists and is sure to keep you off the edge of your seat. If the odds are in the audience’s favor, the sequel to The Hunger Games will be soon to follow.