For the producers behind "The Hunger Games," a movie based on a young-adult novel about a teenage girl fighting for survival and struggling with a love triangle, the guys matter.

The movie doesn't open until March 23, but soothsayers are already predicting an opening-weekend gross in excess of $100 million. Barclays Capital estimates that the movie will generate $275 million domestically, on par with the most recent installment of the "Twilight" series. The studio, Lionsgate, is hoping to launch a multibillion-dollar franchise....