Record-breaking opening for 'The Hunger Games'

Cast member Wes Bentley signs autographs at the premiere of "The Hunger Games" in Los Angeles Credit: Reuters

Action movie "The Hunger Games" has opened with a staggering $155 million at US and Canadian box offices.

It's the highest domestic opening for a movie that isn't a sequel, and marks the launch of what may become one of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster franchises.

"The Hunger Games" is about a post-Apocalyptic world in which teenagers are drafted into a fight-to-the-finish survival game.

Its opening numbers put "Hunger Games" in a league with Harry Potter and the vampires of "Twilight."