Posted Thu May 24, 2012 at 10:30 AM PDT by Tom Landy
The worldwide phenomenon will be getting a midnight Blu-ray release in the middle of August.
In an early announcement to retailers, Lionsgate says 'The Hunger Games' is coming to Blu-ray at 12:01 A.M. on Saturday, August 18.
The film, based on the New York Times best-selling novel from writer Suzanne Collins, achieved a remarkable four-week run as the #1 film at the North American theatrical box office where it has already grossed $392 million, ranking as the 14th highest-grossing film of all time, and it is approaching $650 million at the worldwide box office with an early June opening slated in China.
“The motion picture event of the year is poised to become the home entertainment event of the year and, with a midnight launch and midnight retail events scheduled at stores around the country, we expect to replicate the same level of consumer excitement generated by the film’s theatrical debut,” said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate Executive Vice President & General Manager, Home Entertainment. “This is far and away the biggest home entertainment launch in Lionsgate’s history and, true to a theatrical marketing campaign that incorporated an unprecedented reliance on digital and traditional media alike, our home entertainment launch will involve a similarly innovative and integrated digital and packaged media rollout that we will unveil in the weeks ahead.”
Directed by Academy Award® nominee Gary Ross ('Seabiscuit'), 'The Hunger Games,' starring Academy Award® nominee Jennifer Lawrence ('Winter’s Bone'), features an ensemble cast that includes Golden Globe® winner Donald Sutherland ('Citizen X'), Academy Award® nominee Stanley Tucci ('The Lovely Bones'), Academy Award® nominee Woody Harrelson ('The People vs. Larry Flynt'), Lenny Kravitz ('Precious') and Emmy® nominee Elizabeth Banks (TV’s “30 Rock”). The film also stars some of the industry’s brightest up and coming actors such as Josh Hutcherson ('The Kids Are All Right') and Liam Hemsworth ('The Expendables 2').
'The Hunger Games' is the first in a trilogy of books published by Scholastic that has already become a literary phenomenon with over 36.5 million copies in circulation. Set in the future, one male and one female from each of the twelve districts of the nation is forced to participate in the annual competition called The Hunger Games, which is broadcast live throughout the country for the entertainment of the Capitol’s wealthy residents. Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) volunteers in her younger sister’s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she’s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
The release will be a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Eight-part The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games; Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon; Letters from the Rose Garden featurette with actor Donald Sutherland; Controlling the Games on the control center; Conversation between Gary Ross and film critic Elvis Mitchell; Complete version of the film's Panem propaganda video; Marketing archive; and the Blu-ray exclusive Preparing for The Games: A Director's Process -- which looks at the progression of taking three key scenes from the book to the screen.
Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.99.
You can find the latest specs for 'The Hunger Games' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 18.
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