What kind of world do we live in where a $50 million opening for “Interstellar” is considered a disappointment? Or where a “The Hunger Games” sequel can open above $120 million and still be viewed as a letdown? Well, one with a tough reality, frankly. Yes, Christopher Nolan’s film has grossed $335 million worldwide and is doing quite well overseas, and after three weeks has just crossed the $120 million mark domestically. But it is underperforming by Christopher Nolan standards Stateside. Benchmark comparison is everything in the movie industry, so consider that in 2010 “Inception” had made almost $200 million in three weeks ($193.3 mil to be exact).
The same is true for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1,” which had a phenomenal weekend by most standards, but still disappointed next to its predecessors. $55 million from Friday night grosses, those are spectacular numbers, no? Yes, but comparatively they are the lowest of the series (and below the penultimate broken-up final...
