Mockingjay – Part 2 tops US box office

Mockingjay Part 2, the final Hunger Games film, has shot to number one at the North American box office on its opening weekend, taking $101m (£66.6m). But it was the quietest first weekend for the series, which began in 2012. The first film took $152.5m (£100.6m), the second $158.1m (£104m) and 2014’s Mockingjay – Part 1, $121.9m (£80m). “When a franchise is this popular and this successful in this short a time, expectations run very high,” said Rentrak analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “If we live in a world where a $100m opening is a disappointment, that’s pretty crazy.” So far, there have been only 34 movies in history to open at more than $100m and each Hunger Games film has made it into that elite group.

James Bond film Spectre was second on this week’s US box office chart, with $14. 6m (£9.6m), followed by The Peanuts movie with $12.8m (£8.4m). Seth Rogen’s comedy The Night Before opened in fourth spot, with $10.1m (£6.6m), while Julia Roberts’ thriller The Secret in Their Eyes, a remake of the Oscar-winning Argentinian film, debuted with $6.6m (£4.3m). The weekend was down 11% from last year but Dergarabedian said: “We’re in the home stretch, but remember – we have a little secret weapon in Star Wars.” Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on 18 December.