Fans came out in droves to theaters around the US to be the first to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
The movie earned $17 million Thursday night, making it the best showing of the year, beating out Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Thursday night opening [$11.2 million].
Mockingjay stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
New cast additions include Julianne Moore and Natalie Dormer.
Lionsgate decided to split Collins’ final book into two films, with Mockingjay — Part 2 set to open Nov. 20, 2015.
Mockingjay — Part 1 opens in virtually every foreign markets this weekend, although it won’t be released in China until next year.
