Bryan Alexander

USA TODAY

Don't cry for The Hunger Games. But the $1.45 billion franchise had some money problems as it ended with 2015's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2.

It was a finale most filmmakers would die for, a $102 million opening weekend and $281 million theatrical run.

But as Mockingjay — Part 2 heads for a four-film Blu-ray/DVD release Tuesday, the first two box office-crushing Hunger Games movies make the franchise conclusion seem underachieving by comparison.

"When you end a franchise on a high note, it's because people really love your series," says Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "When you end on a low note, you've reached burnout. People are exhausted by it. That's what happened here."

Review: 'Hunger Games' bids an action-packed adieu

In 2012, the franchise exploded with The Hunger Games' $152.5 million opening weekend ($408 million total), and the fire grew with 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158 million opening, $424 million total).

Jennifer Lawrence was literally "The Girl on Fire" as the reluctant gladiatorial champion in the films depicting a dystopic future with child combatants forced to compete in battles to the death.

The scene shifted away from the gladiatorial arena to full revolution against the oppressive Capitol in the final book, Mockingjay, which Lionsgate split into two movies. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 saw the franchise's first decline, though the $121 million opening ($337 million total) still ranked as 2014's biggest weekend.

Then came the grand dip for Part 2, a drop of 34% from Catching Fire's total.

Francis Lawrence, who directed the final three films, says he's bothered that box office suffered when the gladiator contests ended.

"Looking back now, I think people found the first two movies fun, which is oddly disturbing," says Lawrence. "That's crazy to me, that people think of kids killing kids as fun. The tonal shift after Catching Fire is the thing that started to throw people."

The last two films dealt with the ugly consequences of war, which is true to Suzanne Collins' book series, he says.

The 'Hunger Games' legacy: It�s Jennifer Lawrence�s world now

"That’s not an inherently fun idea. People started to tune into those themes and the politics and it started to diminish the audience some," says Lawrence.

But Bock believes fans felt burnt as the final book was made into two movies.

"Financially, it wasn't a bad idea," says Bock. "But the fan base eroded. The backlash was real with Part 2."

Fans did see the book-splitting as "opportunistic," says Dave Karger, chief correspondent for movie site Fandango.com. But he says it was moving past the "peak" of Catching Fire that took a toll on the story.

"Catching Fire had everything going for it. It had the most substantive story, and it still had the games which are in the title," Karger says.

The financial impact of the slowdown has been absorbed, given that Lionsgate hasn't moved forward with any further installments. Possible Hunger Games sequels or prequels haven't left the discussion phase.

Karger said he believes that the completed franchise, with its respected cast around Lawrence (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson and Julianne Moore), will live on beyond box-office fluctuations.

"It will stand the test of time," Karger says. "There's some real art in those films."