Lionsgate scored by far the biggest theatrical hit in its history with The Hunger Games, as the film has now grossed $391.9 million domestically and continues to attract repeat viewers.  For the last few months, we've been focused on Catching Fire, the adaptation of Suzanne Collins' second novel in the series set for theatrical release in November of next year. 

While fans have been justifiably upset by the absence of director Gary Ross on the sequel, today brings happy news: The Hunger Games will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download this August 18th.

Prepare for many, many headlines making terrible puns about sinking, as this weekend's new releases couldn't manage to compete with Marvel and Disney's superhero team-up.  The Avengers continues to dominate the domestic box office, according to the estimated grosses, while wide releases Battleship, The Dictator, and What to Expect When You're Expecting all basically had to settle for also-ran status.

Four years ago, after Iron Man, when Marvel Studios announced its plan for a crossover series of blockbusters leading up to this year's The Avengers, the plan seemed almost ludicrous, a fanboy wet dream that could never possibly become a reality.  A week ago, the ensemble blockbuster truly busted up some blocks, setting the record for the biggest opening weekend of all time by earning more than $200 million in just a few days.  Now, The Avengers has set another record, this time for the biggest second weekend of any movie.  Ever.

How do you know it's summer?  When an event movie debuts to positively absurd fanfare and astonishes everyone by making a phenomenal amount of money in its debut.  Last year we knew that summer started a bit earlier than usual when Fast Five closed out April by ranking at number 30 on the all-time domestic chart.  Everybody knew that The Avengers would announce the start of summer, but few imagined that Marvel's showpiece would become the biggest domestic opener ever released.

Lionsgate has officially announced that they've found a director for The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, with Francis Lawrence set to take over as helmer in the place of Gary Ross. 

Ross, who directed the phenomenally successful film adaptation of Suzanne Collins's dystopian novel, opted not to return for the first of three planned sequels, citing the rushed schedule required to meet an already-announced November 2013 release date.  As the release date loomed and scheduling issues became paramount, Lionsgate needed to find a Catching Fire director, and needed to do so post haste.

This year's staid and congratulatory awards season is now a distant memory, but there's still one awards show left, one that self-consciously defies the pomp and circumstance of the Oscars and the like.  The MTV Movie Awards don't take themselves too seriously, as demonstrated by categories such as "Best Fight," "Best Kiss," and "Best On-Screen Dirtbag."  Nominations for the summer's awards have been announced, with The Hunger Games and Bridesmaids racking up eight apiece.

Fourteen years ago, the otherwise unremarkable antiquated-TV-show-turned-movie Lost in Space became known as "The Iceberg" on account of being the first movie to knock the seemingly unstoppable Titanic from the number one spot after a remarkable fifteen weeks in the number one spot at the domestic box office.  The Hunger Games didn't exactly spend as much time in first place, but it did spend a solid four consecutive weekends at first, and now it has encountered its own icebergs, as both Think Like a Man and The Lucky One topped it, according to weekend estimates.

Pop quiz, hotshot.  You're Lionsgate, the mini-major studio that has scored the biggest hit in its history with The Hunger Games, which has now grosses more than $534 million globally.  With a release date already announced for Catching Fire, the first of what will likely be three sequels, and some scheduling complications, you discover that The Hunger Games director and co-writer has surprisingly opted not to return.  Who do you pick to replace him and make that all-important release date?

With director and co-writer Gary Ross opting not to return for the sequel Catching Fire, Lionsgate has no doubt had its hands full over the last week, since the studio now needs to find a director who can keep things going on an exceedingly tight schedule.  That The Hunger Games once again ranked at the top of the domestic box office this weekend should serve as a security blanket for anyone in the company fretting over its sequel.  The adaptation of Suzanne Collinss novel held off competition from three very different new releases to hold the number one spot.

Well that was dramatic.  After co-writing and directing The Hunger Games, easily the biggest movie in Lionsgate's history and his career, Gary Ross has decided not to return for the sequel, Catching Fire.  Ross himself, who made the first film a critical hit in addition to a commercial juggernaut, released a statement making it official.  While early reports cited difficult negotiations, the director explicitly denies that this was not the case, and instead says, "I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule.'