Variety reports on last night’s big midnight opening for The Hunger Games and for some reason goes out of its way to compare it to Breaking Dawn – Part 2.

The Hunger Games pulled in an estimated $25 million at the midnight box office, though the real number could be as high as $30m. From Variety:

More bullish estimates peg midnight grosses at $30 million, which would put “Hunger Games” in line with what “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” earned in midnights: $30.3 million. The penultimate “Twilight” pic grossed $138.1 million in its first three days domestically.

But by no means is a commensurate bounty for “Games” in the bag: Bizzers are conservatively estimating a $120 million- $125 million three-day haul.

Why? For one thing, “Breaking Dawn” played around the moviegoing heights of Thanksgiving to a crowd that’s attracted to opening weekend; for another, “The Hunger Games” has an older audience that will catch it when crowds subside.

It’s worth noting that Deathly Hallows – Part 2 made $43 million at the midnight box office, but we think it’s unfair to compare these films. For one, The Hunger Games is the first film in the series, not the last.

We’ll keep you updated this weekend as box office numbers continue to pour in!