After opening to the third-biggest domestic debut weekend of all time, legitimate pop culture phenomenon The Hunger Games has grossed $368.0 million globally.  It's done so in under two weeks of theatrical release.  So with by far the biggest hit in its history, Lionsgate is naturally keen to continue the series with Catching Fire, the already announced adaptation of Suzanne Collins's novel.  But apparently it's not a guarantee that Gary Ross, who co-wrote and directed The Hunger Games, will be back for another round.

This week started off with the first official still from the thriller House at the End of the Street, and it's ending with the newly-unveiled theatrical trailer for the upcoming film from Relativity Media.

The horror tale's leading lady, Jennifer Lawrence, is a bona-fide movie star thanks to her performance as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, but the trailer for House at the End of the Street doesn't rely upon her new ubiquity to sell the movie.  Instead, it opens with fierce intensity then doesn't relent for the ensuing two minutes, dropping lots of cool flashback effects and escalating the true sense of horror right up until the very end.

Synopsis: Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah (Oscar®-nominee Elisabeth Shue; Leaving Las Vegas, Piranha 3D) and her daughter Elissa (Oscar®-nominee Jennifer Lawrence; X-Men: First Class, Winter’s Bone) find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared – leaving only a brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot, My Soul to Take), as the sole survivor.  Against Sarah’s wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan – and the closer they get, the deeper they’re all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined.

Hot on the heels of The Hunger Games record breaking opening weekend everyone in the world is asking one question … what new film can we see Jennifer Lawrence in next? Well, Relativity Media has the answer for you in the form of their upcoming horror/thriller House at the End of the Street, which features the newly minted international superstar and former Academy Award nominee. The new movie will be released on September 21^st, and also stars fellow Oscar nominee Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), as well as actors, Gil Bellows (The Shawshank Redemption) and Max Thieriot (Jumper).

House at the End of the Street was helmed by British director Mark Tonderai (Hush) and based on a story by fellow director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). The film follows newly divorced Sarah (Shue) and her daughter Elissa (Lawrence) who finally find their dream house in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret.

In honor of the first photo and trailer from the film, which were both released this week, I had a chance to speak with director Mark Tonderai about his work on House at the End of the Street. The director discussed his upcoming film, it’s premise, post-production, the screening process, Jennifer Lawrence, the rest of the film’s exceptional cast, his love for Alfred Hitchcock, and whether or not the film will have a presence at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego.

Relativity Media has released the first official still from House at the End of the Street, this year's atmospheric thriller starring none other than Jennifer Lawrence.  Doubtless many readers saw Lawrence over the last weekend, when The Hunger Games had the third-highest opening weekend in film history, undeniably making Lawrence a certified movie star.

In House at the End of the Street, Lawrence plays Elissa, who, along with her mother played by fellow Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue, move to a new town.  All is well until they discover that the house next door was the site of a horrific double murder and Lawrence's character begins a friendship with the only survivor, played by Max Thieriot.

Lionsgate looked to the horizon with The Hunger Games, spending the last year playing to the novel's considerable fanbase, first by ensuring that every part of casting was a big deal, then by consistently reminding everyone that the film was on the way and was gonna be huge.  Today, the adaptation of the first novel in Suzanne Collins's dystopian trilogy opens nationwide, and it looks like The Hunger Games will live up the commercial hype.  According to Lionsgate, the film earned an estimated $19.7 million at midnight screenings already.

On the eve of its release, The Hunger Games is enjoying the kind of critical reception that most movies can only dream of and is preparing for an opening weekend that distributor Lionsgate and pretty much everyone else in the nation are expecting to be massive.  Anticipation amongst fans of the novel by Suzanne Collins and the moviegoing public at large is at a fever pitch.  The Hunger Games is everywhere at the moment.

Set in the futuristic dystopia of Panem and focusing on an annual twenty-four person death match between young people is televised for entertainment and as a reminder of governmental power, The Hunger Games could have easily become just the kind of slick entertainment that it subtextually criticizes.  Instead, it's a smart, thrilling science fiction film with smartly drawn characters and a subtle, knowing depiction of a world out of whack.

That The Hunger Games turned out as such can be largely attributed to director Gary Ross, and his effective choices are reflected by his unexpected cast, from lead Jennifer Lawrence through supporting players Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, and Wes Bentley.  At the Los Angeles press junket for the film, IAR was lucky enough to sit in on roundtable interviews with Ross, as well as Banks, Kravitz, and Bentley.  All four were eager to discuss the source material, the film's development, outlandish makeup, their leading lady, and preparation for the first sequel, Catching Fire.

Opening in theaters on March 23rd is the highly anticipated new film The Hunger Games, which is based on the extremely popular novel of the same name by author Suzanne Collins. The film was directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit), and stars Academy Award-nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) as the story's hero Katniss Everdeen, as well as Josh Hutcherson (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song), Woody Harrelson (Rampart), Elizabeth Banks (Man on a Ledge), Lenny Kravitz (Precious), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Toby Jones (My Week With Marilyn), Wes Bentley (There Be Dragons), and Donald Sutherland (Klute). 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had the pleasure of sitting down with actor Wes Bentley to discuss his role as Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games. The actor discussed the new film, his pivotal role, getting the part, his character's unique facial hair, the inspiration he gained for his role from watching reality television, director Gary Ross' vision for the film, and the brilliant world that author Suzanne Collins has created. 

At this point, does The Hunger Games really need an introduction?  The sheer ubiquity of promotion for the film, combined with its ecstatic critical reception and the general anticipation surrounding it, suggest that no intro is necessary.  You know the basic story by now: in the future, the totalitarian society of Panem enjoys an annual survival competition that pits twenty-four young people from the nation's twelve districts against one another, with only one allowed to survive. The first book in Suzanne Collins's trilogy of dystopian novels became a bestseller with an appeal far beyond its young adult classification, and Lionsgate has been expertly hyping the film adaptation for months.

A year ago, the talk was all about casting.  Specifically, it was centered around who should play the three central characters in the trilogy: heroine Katniss Everdeen and her fellow District 12 residents Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne.  Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar nominee for her work in Winter's Bone, won the role of Katniss, while Josh Hutcherson of The Kids Are All Right and The Last Song's Liam Hemsworth signed on to play Peeta and Gale, respectively.

With anticipation for The Hunger Games reaching a fever pitch, all three young thespians were happy to talk about the film at the Los Angeles press conference.  IAR was lucky enough to participate in roundtable interviews with Lawrence, Hutcherson, and Hemsworth.  In the midst of a huge promotional push, the actors were happy to talk about the novels, the film, their physical training, and the seeming inevitability of sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

The fourth official clip from The Hunger Games has arrived online.  It's a quick one, clocking in at well under one minute, but it is the first to focus on the relationship between Katniess Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne, played respectively by Jennifer Lawrence and Gale Hawthorne.