Natalie Dormer as Cressida, left, and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in a scene from "The Hunger Games: Lionsgate's blockbuster "Hunger Games" series is launching its final assault at the box office this weekend, marking an end of an era for the Santa Monica studio.

But that would be the smallest debut yet for the "Hunger Games" films, about a young woman's rebellion against a tyrannical dystopian regime. Some analysts still say it could do slightly more business than last year's "Mockingjay — Part 1" because of the wide anticipation among the fan base for the story of Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence.

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Young adult-skewing movie series such as "The Twilight Saga" and "Harry Potter" tend to tick up in their finales. Its sequel "Catching Fire" opened even higher.

The new "Mockingjay" should also stack up robust ticket sales over the weeks after its opening, benefiting from strong reviews and Lawrence's continued star power, said Shawn Robbins, senior analyst at BoxOffice.

Once you've dug so far deep into a franchise, you can only max out so much," Robbins said.

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Even with the slip in ticket sales from the earlier "Hunger Games" movies, "Mockingjay — Part 2" is still expected to be the fourth highest-opening film of the year thus far, coming in behind only "Jurassic World," "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Furious 7.

It's also undertaking an aggressive international rollout, with the film opening in 86 countries this week including China, where it's likely to post huge numbers.

On a recent conference call with Wall Street analysts, Lionsgate Chief Executive Jon Feltheimer called it "the biggest simultaneous global launch in the company's history and a fitting grand finale for the current story arc. Analysts and investors have been asking what Lionsgate plans to do after the publicly traded company's key franchise reaches its conclusion.

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But Eric Wold, an entertainment analyst at B. Lionsgate still has the "Divergent" series, and it has potential franchises in properties like "Power Rangers. Plus, it might not be the end of the "Hunger Games" after all.

Feltheimer has said the studio is "thinking about" possible prequels and sequels. Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

It has a clear path to victory this weekend because it faces light competition from other major movies. Sony Pictures is releasing the R-rated holiday comedy "The Night Before," starring Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt , while fledgling studio STX Entertainment is debuting "The Secret in Their Eyes," a thriller featuring Nicole Kidman , Julia Roberts and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Next week will see added rivals at the multiplex, with Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur" and " Warner Bros.

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Actors Liam Hemsworth, left, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson arrive for the premiere of Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games: Fans take a selfie with Katniss herself, actress Jennifer Lawrence, right, at the Los Angeles premiere of "The Hunger Games: Ryan Faughnder Contact Reporter.

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