Shannonigans

Yesterday, I shared my review of "The Hunger Games" on DISH Network's entertainment blog, Celebutaunt. Today on my blog I'm sharing some "Hunger Games" movie trivia.

Casting
Katniss
Before Jennifer Lawrence won the role of Katniss, the producers considered several actors, including Abigail Breslin, Chloë Grace Moretz, Emily Browning, Emma Roberts, Hailee Steinfeld,  Kaya Scodelario, Lyndsy Fonseca, Mary Mouser,  Saoirse Ronan, and Shailene Woodley.

Peeta
The actors considered for the role of Peeta before Josh Hutcherson secured the role include Alex Pettyfer, Alexander Ludwig, Evan Peters, Hunter Parrish, Josh Hutcherson, Lucas Till, and Nico Tortorella.

Hair Color
Both Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth are natural blondes; they had to dye their hair brown for their respective roles of Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne. Conversely, John Hutcherson is a natural brunette, so he had to dye his hair blonde for his role of Peeta Mellark.

Costume Design
Legenary costume designer, Ve Neill, was the makeup department head for Hunger Games. She also lent her talent as a makeup designer for the movie. In fact, she was the one who created Seneca's captivating beard. Ve has also worked on the following movies: Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Hook, Batman Returns, The Chronicles of Riddick, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and Priest.

Budget
The movie's estimated budget was $100,000,000.

Box Office Sales
US weekend boxoffice sales were more than $150 million. That makes "The Hunger Games'" opening the third highest of all time. The top two movies are  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($169.1 million) and The Dark Knight ($158.4 million). However, it's important to note that "The Hunger Games" is the top selling non-sequel movie of the lot.

Modifications from the Book
The Mockingjay Pin
Since Madge doesn't exist in the movie, Katniss is given the pin for free. For those who have read the book, this is a stretch. The pin is made of gold and would be worth a lot of money.

Alliance with Rue
One of the reasons Katniss was so fond of Rue was because Rue reminded her of her sister, Primrose. It was implied but wasn't overtly stated. In the book, Katniss receives bread from District 11 as a thank you for her final farewell, but in the movie, District 11 starts a rebellion. Talk about a great lead into the movie sequel, Catching Fire.

Movie Continuity Issues
- When Primrose is walking toward her group of 12-year olds, the mockingjay pin is on her left, but when she is called as tribute, the pin is on her right.

- When Katniss starts to cut down the Tracker Jacker nest, she uses the knife's blade side, but the next cut shows the knife turned around so she's sawing into the tree with the serrated edge.

- By the end of the week of the games, Peeta is still clean shaven, despite his access to any toiletries.

- Tributes are supposed to hear a canon fire every time a tribute dies; however, there are no fires shot in the middle of the movie when three tribute die.

That's all I have for now. Do you have any facts or "Hunger Games" movie trivia to share?