Hungry for 'Hunger Games'

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

In this image released by Lionsgate, Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss Everdeen in a scene from "The Hunger Games." (AP Photo/Lionsgate, Murray Close)

Fans are so hungry for "The Hunger Games" that Hollywood's buzzing about an opening weekend to rival the $140 million debuts of some of the "Twilight" movies.

Early tracking pegged "The Hunger Games" at only about half that much. But box-office forecasters have been continually revising their predictions upward based on audience awareness and advance ticket sales.

Opening Friday, "The Hunger Games" has a strong shot at shattering the record March debut of $116.1 million debut for 2010's "Alice in Wonderland."

And Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian says "The Hunger Games" could approach the $130 million to $140 million level achieved by two of the "Twilight" flicks.

"The Hunger Games" may have an edge, too. Female fans drive "Twilight," while "The Hunger Games" has strong interest from both sexes.