Fans of the young adult trilogy The Hunger Games are lining up to see the movie version that opened Friday. The film, which began screenings at midnight, has already grossed $19.7 million.

At the Loews Theater on 34th St, all of Friday's shows have sold out, even as the theatre added more show times as the day went on. There were around 100 ticket-holders in line Friday afternoon, many toting their Hunger Games books or sporting Hunger Games apparel.

In a black v-neck t-shirt and her hair pulled into a side-braid, Olivia Nikkanen dressed as her favorite character, Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of the story.

"I bought my ticket a month ago," she said.

The Hunger Games is based on a trilogy of books that are a hit with the tween and teen set, as well as the adult crowd. The series depict a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where the government, called The Capitol, holds absolute power over society, and once a year, one boy and one girl from each of 12 districts are chosen to fight to the death in a televised battle for survival.

"The trailer blows me away, it's exactly how I was thinking it would be when I read the book, said Gabrielle Saviano, who was waiting to see the movie with her dad. "We got tickets recently, but I've been dreaming about it since summer camp, all the way back in August."

All the buzz surrounding the highly-anticipated film has generated real results. The film version of the first book has already scored the top midnight debut ever for a non-sequel and it is predicted to take in over $100 million at the box office this weekend.