Mockingjay Tops Guardians to Become HighestGrossing Film in US Last Year
All hail Jennifer Lawrence. The Hunger Games Mockingjay  Part 1 flew past Guardians of the Galaxy to become the highest grossing film in the U.S. last year. The third installment in the series hit 333.2 million on Wednesday, surpassing Guardians 333.17 million, Variety reports. The movie continues to dominate worldwide as well, having grossed more than 700 million already ahead of its China opener on Feb. 8. It total, the franchise has brought in over 2.2 billion, with one more movie set to release this fall. This is the second year in a row that the Hunger Games franchise topped the charts at the domestic box office. The success will certainly provide ammunition for actress Cate Blanchett, Sony co-chairman Amy Pascal and others in the industry who argue that films with female protagonists can make money. Even though studios continue to bet on male-dominated action films as tentpoles, an analysis of films conducted by Vocativ last year found that films with robust female roles do better at the box office. The Hunger Games biggest challenge yet will come this year when it faces off against the new Star Wars and Avengers films for top box office. Fire is catching. MORE How Hollywood Can Get More Women to See Movies, Variety