‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ budget soars past $130 million

It looks as though "Catching Fire," the much;anticipated "Hunger Games" sequel, is gambling with a budget that pretty much caught on fire. According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Catching Fire" saw a 67 per cent budget increase from the first installment of the "Hunger Games" trilogy, taking the original budget of $78 million up to a whopping $130 million.

Of course, it's probably not that big of a gamble, considering the first installment grossed about $691 million worldwide.

Here's a breakdown of the new budget:

For starters, the look of the new film has evolved. As Katniss’s storyline gets more complicated so will the special effects. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Lionsgate spent more than $10 million to enhance the special effects. There's no doubt that realistic flaming outfits for the Mockingjay came at no cheap price.

In addition to the special effects, "Catching Fire" was shot in two locations – Hawaii and Georgia – over 89 days. The “Hunger Games” took 84 days of shooting in just one state, North Carolina.

And, finally, the stars all received pay raises. Jennifer Lawrence has had a big year since the "Hunger Games" was released, winning an Oscar and a Golden Globe, so it’s no surprise that she got a fatter pay check for the sequel. While she was paid only $500,000 for the first installment, her pay was increased to $10 million for the sequel. Her male counterparts, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth also received small pay increase, although no exact price tag has been released.

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" opens in theatres on Nov. 22. And don't forget, Yahoo is hosting an exclusive Tumblr chat with Jennifer Lawrence and "Catching Fire" director Francis Lawrence on Nov. 6. Check out the details here.