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The Hunger Games is definitely setting new benchmarks. Lionsgate has finally won approval to release the movie in China, making the cut among the 20 foreign films okayed each year by Chinese authorities for cinematic viewing. The deal was first reported on last November.

Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer said on May 2, ““We got approved to be in China in cinema and that’s a big move for that movie,” not delving into anymore details, or even a set release date yet.

The year’s biggest film to date has collected $603.5 million in worldwide sales without China, which follows North America and Japan in box-office receipts.

Source: Bloomberg

According to THR, Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine and also worked on Toy Story 3 and Phineas and Ferb movie that will come out in 2013 as well is reportedly in talks to polish the Catching Fire script that was drafted by Slumdog Millionaire‘s Simon Beaufoy.

Francis Lawrence is officially on board to direct the movie, stepping into the chair vacated by Gary Ross, who helmed the $600 million-grossing first installment in the franchise.

The sequel is barreling toward a late-summer production start. While Lionsgate doesn’t yet have a deal with Arndt, if he signs on, he will have to work double-time to get the script ready due to a squeezed schedule caused by star Jennifer Lawrence’s commitment to Fox’s X-Men: First Class sequel. That tight schedule was one reason Ross declined to take on the project.

Liam Hemsworth is featured in the May issue of Prestige Hong Kong. Photos from the shoot have been added in the gallery here.

Apart from the photoshoot, the magazine has a new interview as well, excerpts from which follow below:

How have you been dealing with all the attention your life and everything that surrounds it has been bringing you?
I haven’t really changed that much. I still do the things that I’ve always done. It’s just that I’m at a different level now in terms of my career. I’m able to meet extremely talented filmmakers and writers and directors – everyone in the business. I’m just in a different position than I’ve ever been in. But, you know, my personal life hasn’t changed. I still go surfing and hang out with friends. I just feel very lucky to be where I am and to be able to make movies.

There has been an enormous buzz around the world following The Hunger Games. What’s it like being caught up in it all?
Pretty much the whole of March I’ve been travelling, doing press everywhere. It’s been awesome. I’ve never promoted something as big as this. So it’s been pretty cool. As an actor I always look for things I relate to in one way or another, or things that are different. And this is definitely all that and has a huge fan base behind it already. I’ve never been a part of something like that before so it has been interesting.

What attracted you to the production and to the role?
It’s been different to any kind of movie that I’ve done before. I think it has given me a chance to show something different as an actor and be seen in a different light.

You grew up on Phillip Island, a pretty quiet, rural part of Australia. How much did that experience help shape the man you are today?
My dad and all my brothers have always surfed, so honestly it was the best way to grow up. We’d surf before school, after school…and I love small communities like that where you sort of know everyone. It was great place to grow up as a kid.

So how did the acting bug bite?
My brother Luke got into it first. As a kid I always loved movies; I would sit down and watch movies all day long. But it wasn’t like I dreamt of being an actor or anything. It wasn’t until I was about 17 and I watched my brothers do TV shows in Australia that I wanted to pursue it seriously, and I started doing classes outside of school. I got an agent and started auditioning as much as I could. That was in my last year of school.

Can you talk a little about what made you decide that acting was the only path you would take?
I left to shoot something for a few weeks and when I returned to school my head just wasn’t there any more. So I left school completely about three-quarters of the way through my last year and I just started laying floors with my eldest brother Luke. I was just auditioning as much as I could and laying floors as well.

………………..
Both your elder bothers – Luke and Chris – were acting as you grew up. How much of an impact did that have on you?
Well I wouldn’t be doing this job if they hadn’t gotten into it. Always, as the youngest brother, I wanted to do what they were doing, and emulate some of what they were doing. My brothers have been the biggest influence in my life and are my biggest role models. They’ve taught me a lot of what I know. Before I started doing acting classes I used to run scenes with Chris or Luke and they would kind of give me acting classes, so that’s where it all sort of began.

In 2009 – when you were 19 – you upped and left for Los Angeles. Had you been out of Australia before?
I’d been to Bali before – it was my only overseas trip – on a surf trip with my brothers. But I think I’d always wanted to go to LA simply because this is where all the biggest movies are made, it’s where all the big producers are. I think any actor wants to go there at some point. So I just started sending tapes of me over from Australia.

And you were originally going to play a part in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables. What happened there?
I sent a tape, and Stallone called me a week later and asked me to come over. I was about to fly and they rewrote the script and it ended up not happening. Then I got flown over to do a screen test for Thor, which obviously my brother ended up getting. That was what got me over to the States and got me attention, because also people here had heard what had happened with The Expendables. Then I got a part in a film called The Last Song and that allowed me to stay here and keep working.

How did you find the change? Was it a culture shock?
At first it was pretty different. I was a bit lost, but then I got into working and was extremely happy to just be here. But at first it was weird to have made a huge jump and not have family around me at the time. I was 19, so it was certainly a big step, but I’m very happy that I did it.

Has acting always come easy or do you have to work hard at it?
When I’m on set I have always felt comfortable, I’ve never really been nervous on set. I have a nervous energy, an excited energy. I love acting, I love making movies and being a part of the whole process of making movies. I’m able to meet directors that I’m a fan of and try and get projects going with them. I’m in a better position now than I’ve ever been in and I can just try to find stuff that I care about.

And you finally got a chance to pick up the role from Stallone in The Expendables 2?
Yeah, I shot that last year and got to work with Stallone and Jason Statham, I mean, the biggest action stars there are in the world. Guys I had grown up watching. That was pretty incredible, and really humbling – to be on set with them every day and see how professional they still are, how cool and excited they are to turn up to work after doing it for so long. They’re still happy and not jaded in any way. They were just great guys to work with.

………………..

Australian actors have had a long association with Hollywood – and with success. Were any of them role models too?
Heath Ledger was one I was always a big fan of. He was kind of the closest to my age and was just an incredible actor. And obviously guys like Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman – there are just so many talented Australian actors over here. But I think Heath Ledger was my favourite out of all of those and just simply an inspiration.

………………..And what do you have coming up?
A film called Empire State with a director called Dito Montiel. He directed a film called A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints in 2006. It’s been one of my favourite movies ever since I saw it and I was fortunate enough to meet the director last year. It’s awesome to be able to meet someone who I’m such a big fan of and then get to work with him. We start work on that soon and I’m still pinching myself. It’s just amazing that I’m about to shoot with this guy on a project that I’m extremely passionate about as well. It’s based on a true story about this guy who becomes an armoured [truck] guard, and he and his buddy got away with millions of dollars. They went to jail for it, but apparently he hid the money. It’s just a great story.

And before that – more downtime?
I’ll be playing Call of Duty on Xbox – I’m blistered on my thumbs from playing too much. If I’m in relax mode I play Xbox, I go surfing. If I’m in work mode I have meetings most days and am pretty active. I’ve been boxing for quite a while. So I try to do that most days, or go for a run. I’m pretty active so I like to keep moving. So if it’s not hard-out relaxing, I am moving.

Thanks for the tip, DWTC!

Lionsgate has announced a new Facebook community We Are Panem where fans can submit their Panem stories to be chosen the Hero of the Week, as part of The Hunger Games Adventures.

The adventures continue as new chapters and features are added to The Hunger Games Adventures every week. Recently the Capitol Couture boutique opened for business, allowing players more options in customizing their character to express their creativity and personality as a citizen of Panem. As a way for fans to share their creativity, we’ve created a new Facebook community as a showplace for fans to share their character’s story and show off their style.

Once a week we’ll take the best posts and share them with all the players through a post in the game welcome screen. Take a screenshot of your character and write something awesome and be the Hero of the Week!

Elizabeth Banks attended the Lucky FABB conference in Santa Monica yesterday. The conference had bloggers and fashion experts discussing the future of fashion on the web and more.

As we all know, Elizabeth runs her own steady blog at ElizabethBanks.com. The conversation also turned to The Hunger Games, and naturally Effie Trinket’s wardrobe. Elizabeth also talks a bit about the new director for Catching Fire, Francis Lawrence:

Predictably, the topic turned to Hunger Games when one blogger asked Banks what she’d steal from Effie Trinket’s eccentric wardrobe.The actress ‘fessed up that she has her eye on a pair of Effie’s flashy footwear. “Effie had some amazing gold Alexander McQueen booties that I am deservately trying to get. They’re probably going to be worth money some day and that’s why they don’t want to give them to me. I’ll wear them. They probably just preserve them!”

As for the new director of the sequel Catching Fire,  Frances Lawrence, Banks observed: “I’ve never met Francis but he seems lovely. I like his movies and I’m excited for a new voice to be involved. It’s gonna be great for the franchise and that’s really all I know.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

With its near-invincible streak on the box office, The Hunger Games is surely one of the best releases of the year. Obviously, the movie finds itself comfortably landing eight nominations in the MTV Movie Awards, the highest along with Bridesmaids.

Movie of the Year
» “Bridesmaids”
» “The Hunger Games”
» “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2?
» “The Help”
» “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1?

Best Male Performance
» Daniel Radcliffe, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2?
» Ryan Gosling, “Drive”
» Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “50/50?
» Josh Hutcherson, “The Hunger Games”
» Channing Tatum, “The Vow”

Best Female Performance
» Jennifer Lawrence, “The Hunger Games”
» Kristin Wiig, “Bridesmaids”
» Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid Love”
» Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2?
» Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

Breakthrough Performance
» Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
» Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
» Liam Hemsworth, “The Hunger Games”
» Elle Fanning, “Super 8?
» Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Cast
» “Bridesmaids”
» “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2?
» “The Hunger Games”
» “21 Jump Street”
» “The Help”

Best On-Screen Transformation
» Elizabeth Banks, “The Hunger Games”
» Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
» Johnny Depp, “21 Jump Street”
» Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
» Colin Farrell, “Horrible Bosses”

Best Fight
» Daniel Radcliffe vs. Ralph Fiennes, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2?
» Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig, “The Hunger Games”
» Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill vs. Kid Gang, “21 Jump Street”
» Tom Hardy vs. Joel Edgerton, “Warrior”
» Tom Cruise vs. Michelle Nyqvist, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”

Best Kiss
» Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”
» Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2?
» Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, “The Hunger Games”
» Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, “The Vow”
» Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1?

Fans can vote HERE beginning tomorrow from 8:00 am EST, and the award show will air live on June 3, 9: 00 PM EST.

While The Hunger Games reign on the top of the box office has finally ended, the movie is still garnering huge revenue. The movie now stands with a total of $601 million worldwide, and $372.5 million on the domestic US box office outperforming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: II.

Close behind, The Hunger Games dipped by a tiny 23 percent and earned $11.3 million in its sixth weekend on the chart. With a running total of $372.5 million, the franchise-launching blockbuster is now officially performing ahead of the highest-grossing Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which had earned $366 million at the same point in its run. Worldwide, Hunger Games‘ impressive $601 million total doesn’t compare to Potter‘s grosses, but one can only wonder how high numbers will climb by the time The Hunger Games Saga: Catching Fire – Part 2 (Section B) in IMAX 3D finally hits theaters in 2016.

Source: Entertainment Weekly