Area Movie Theaters Brace for 'Hunger Games'

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A single, unobtrusive poster near the back of main lobby is the only thing tipping off popcorn buyers that The Hunger Games is ‘Coming Soon.’

But there has been plenty of other promotional and social buzz to help attract throngs of rabid fans eager to see the midnight premiere Thursday night of the heavily anticipated film.

“The previews really draw you in,” said Garrett Ganskie, an employee at Carmike 15 theater in Apple Valley. “I want to say it’s going to be bigger than Harry Potter, but you never know. Right now, it looks like it will be.”

Ganskie said his theater has “pretty much” sold out its largest screen in advance of the Thursday night premiere and expects ticket sales to “really heat up” throughout the day. More screens will be opened to satisfy what could be an insatiable appetite of fans as needed.

Tony Fazio, the general manager for the agrees the film will open big.

“It’s rivaling both Harry Potter and the Twilight series,” said Fazio of the pre-buy buzz. “I actually expect it to surpass those movies.”

Fazio said his theater has already sold out one screen and anticipates opening up to three screens for the late Thursday night crush. Strong sales are also expected through the weekend.

“I think the difference is this movie is targeted to a much larger audience than those films,” Fazio said. “There’s certainly a lot of hype.”

Nationally, the Huffington Post says the film, based on Suzanne Collins’ young-adult novel about the ultimate post-apocalyptic reality show, has already sold out approximately 2000 screens. Some estimates have the big-screen epic on pace to bring in between $130-140 million during the opening weekend.

Critical reviews are also sky-high with the film currently rating a 91 on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes.

“It should be a good movie,” Fazio said.

Movie times in Apple Valley are available by calling 952-431-4859. You can also visit their website. For the Marcus Theater in Rosemount, call 651-322-4600 or visit their website.

Are you going to see The Hunger Games movie? Let us know in the comments section what you're looking forward to, or leave your review after you see it!