The Hunger Games: Mockingjay underperformed at the box office because of Paris terrorist attacks and Star Wars, says Lionsgate

The studio's CEO said: 'I think the combination of circumstances was unique'

Dystopian murder tournament! What's not to love? The film is perfectly paced, with just enough pre-games training and socio-political context stuff without it dragging, while the contest itself is gripping and with a pleasing gender role reversal in terms of the hunter and the damsel in distress. Also Stanley Tucci's Caesar Flickerman will give you your new laugh.

The studio behind the fourth and final part of The Hunger Games film series has blamed both the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the Paris terror attacks for the films underperformance at the Box Office.

According to Deadline, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said that the seventh episode of the Star Wars saga had taken between $50m-$100m of their box office revenue.

“I think the combination of circumstances was unique between the terrorist attack in Europe and Star Wars,” he said in a report that detailed how stock of the company had fallen 27 per cent.

The Jennifer Lawrence starring film also didn’t do as well in China where Star Wars also underperformed, Hunger Games: Mockinjay Part 2 failing to surpass fellow Lionsgate film The Last Witch Hunter in the country.

Feltheimer reasoned that the film was “sandwiched together between The Martian and Spectre and we couldn’t get the screens,” adding: “we were disappointed in Mockingjay‘s performance in the country, especially since we did our first China premiere there.”

Many fans have pointed out that the film failed to impress both critics and fans alike, which may be the real reason it underperformed; not necessarily because of the Paris attacks or Star Wars.

Meanwhile, JJ Abrams’ The Force Awakens has crossed the $2 billion profit line according to Disney, making it the third film to ever do so behind Avatar and Titanic.