The highly-anticipated movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ book The Hunger Games hits the big screen tonight. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, fans expect the movie to be a blockbuster hit. According to The New York Times, 23.5 million books from the young adult trilogy have been sold so far. Following the popularity of the novels, fans wonder: Will the movie live up to expectations? Will viewers leave theaters with nothing but empty wallets and disappointment? To get ready for tonight’s midnight premiere, the HiLite has you covered on all things Hunger Games.

Regal theater plans for crowds

To prepare for the midnight premiere madness, Mike Sandy, manager at Regal Village Park Stadium 17, said his theater currently plans to show the movie on seven digital projections and will add more screens as demand warrants.

“There’s been a high demand so far. We’ve had a large number of calls regarding tickets for “The Hunger Games” movie release,” he said. “The day tickets went on sale on Fandango.com, “The Hunger Games” tickets accounted for 85 percent of that day’s total sales.”

Sandy also said he suggests students purchase tickets beforehand to make it easier on his staff and to reduce the long lines expected at the ticket booth.

Hunger Games fan and senior Raven Peterson plans to see the movie this weekend, if not tonight. She said she has high hopes for the movie and expects it to become a blockbuster franchise.

“I definitely think that once the movie comes out and people go see it regardless of whether they’ve read the books, it’ll definitely increase book sales and movie sales,” Peterson said. “I just hope the filmmakers don’t mess it up.”

Media center builds hype for premiere

Since Feb. 23, the media center has been transformed into a Hunger Games haven in celebration of the movie release. From March 12 to 21, there was a scavenger hunt contest where students could fill out a booklet and turn it in for prizes like posters and movie theater gift cards.

Francie Sands and Carol Schatz, media managers and planners of the event, said they hoped the media center’s Hunger Games activities would be a fun way for students to learn more about the library while getting excited for the film.

“We’ve always had some kind of a contest a couple times during the year in the library, and they always go over quite well,” Sands said. “We try to keep the library going with some kind of theme all the time so the kids can come in.”

Sands said The Hunger Games has been so popular that the media center struggles to keep it on the shelf. Last month, she had to buy five additional copies to keep up with the high demand.

“It’s been popular all along, even last year when it first came out with a Rosie award,” Sands said. “We couldn’t keep it on our shelves, and then of course with the movie coming out it seems like popularity has increased.”

Schatz said although the series seems to be most popular among teenage girls, she recommends it to everyone.

“I love that the books have a strong female heroine,” Schatz said. “It seems to be an original story. It’s different than a lot of the things that are out there right now.”

The Carmel Clay Public Library jumped in on the action as well and will host a Hunger Games program after school today from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Young Adult Lounge. No registration is necessary.

According to Young Adult librarian Jamie Beckman, students can win prizes at the event by shooting arrows like protagonist Katniss Everdeen or decorating cookies like Peeta Mellark.

“It’s just a party to celebrate the movie release,” Beckman said. “It’s a Young Adult novel that’s been very popular, and this event will get students in the spirit for the movie release. We hope to get fans of the book to come into the library and participate in this program.”

Hunger Games 101

The plot:

The Hunger Games takes place centuries in the future in Panem, a country risen out of the ashes of what was once North America. The Capitol and President Snow rule the country with an iron fist and force residents to participate in the annual tradition, the Games, as punishment for an uprising from decades ago. Each of the 12 districts must send one 12 to 18-year old boy and girl to the Capitol, where they will be placed in a man-made arena and fight to the death. The last one standing wins fame, fortune and food for himself and his district. It sounds brutal, but Collins skillfully intertwines action, mystery and romance so the reader never gets bored.

Senior Raven Peterson was a reader who couldn’t put the novel down. After watching the trailer for the film, Peterson read the entire series immediately and said she would’ve gone crazy if she hadn’t.

“The characters are pretty relatable, and the whole plot is nothing like I’ve ever read before. I think it’s such an interesting idea and a different take on a dystopian society,” Peterson said. “You don’t really know what’s going to happen. It just keeps changing until the end. Once you get into it, it’s nearly impossible to put down.”

The characters

Katniss Everdeen
The main character and protagonist. She lives in the Seam, a poor area of District 12. Katniss volunteers to be a tribute, or contestant, to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games after her younger sister Prim is selected at the reaping ceremony. Her fondness for hunting and her archery skills give her an advantage in the arena.

Peeta Mellark
He is the male tribute from District 12. As the son of the town baker, he has always been well fed, unlike Katniss. Peeta and Katniss have connections from their past, which makes Katniss wary of his intentions in the arena. Peterson said she couldn’t stand Peeta when she was reading the series.

Haymitch Abernathy
A middle-aged, cranky man. As the only living victor from District 12, he is Katniss and Peeta’s mentor for the Games. He is habitually inebriated and serves as the district laughingstock, but he cares about his tributes’ chances of winning.