Man jailed for refusing to pay toll at Lekki

An Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, Lagos has sentenced a 39-year-old man, Rozer Oladimeji, to a week imprisonment for refusing to pay at the Lekki-Epe Expressway toll gate.

Oladimeji drove a red Toyota Jeep with   number plate LND 607 AC about 3:51pm on March 18 and refused to pay the compulsory N120 toll.

The accused sped past the toll collection point of the expressway before the bar blocked the way after a vehicle had passed.

He was however apprehended later in the day around 8.10pm when he was returning by toll officers and security operatives on the outward bound lane of the expressway

The charge sheet read in part, “That you, Rozer Oladimeji, at about 3.51pm at the Toll Plaza, on Lekki-Epe Expressway, Eti Osa Local Government Area, drove a Toyota Jeep and refused to pay the toll when it was lawfully demanded from you.

“That you, Oladimeji, drove the vehicle in a reckless manner on a public highway.”

Oladimeji was charged with two counts of reckless driving and refusal to pay a lawful toll to which he pleaded guilty.

Police prosecutor, Mr. Clifford Ogu, told the court that the offence contravened sections 18(1) and 67(1) Cap 124 Vol. 6 of the Road Traffic Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.

Magistrate A. A. Famobiwo found Oladimeji guilty as charged and sentenced him to a week imprisonment.

Famobiwo, however, gave him an option of N5, 000 fine.

LOSS OF SLEEP KILLS


Health experts have warned that loss of sleeping hours, untreated sleep disorders which include snoring and sleepwalking can result to hypertension, mental challenges and worst of all, sudden death.

An Associate Professor and Consultant Neurologist at the College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital,Njideka Okubadejo, who spoke at a forum tagged ‘Breathe Easily, Sleep Well,’ in Lagos, stated that research has shown that 10 per cent of the world’s population suffers from one or more sleeping disorders.

According to Dr. Okubadejo, adults that fall into the category of not breathing well at night, snoring, sleeping late or not getting much sleep, are liable to suffer breathing problems, which results in cognitive and mental challenges during the day.

She noted that children who sleep late, snore and do not get enough sleep would experience disorders including sleepwalking and talking which would result in behavioral, cognitive and urinary problems.



“We have discovered that many breathing disorders that affect the brain occur during sleep, …and this affects many Nigerians…People who suffer this would be sleepy during the day, they cannot solve problems. Children who do not sleep long enough, snore or have breathing problems at night would be hyperactive in the day; they cannot interact well with their peers and may likely bed-wet.” she said.

The experts identified obesity, poor sleeping hours, alcohol consumption, smoking and the presence of adenoids, tonsils and allergens as factors that predispose people to sleep disorders.

There is no doubt that most adults are not getting enough sleep as they should these days due to the demands of the 21st century but recent developments have shown that children also lack enough sleep.
“It used to be adults that were not getting enough sleep, now children are not sleeping at all. Parents want to drive children the way society drives them and schools are helping them with after school hour’s programmes that would engage them till their parents have time for them” Dr. Okubadejo said, blaming highly-tasking academic schedule which schools and parents have fashioned out for children as reasons why children do not have enough time to sleep nowadays.
The Consultant, Ear and Throat Surgeon at the Surgery Department of LUTH, Dr. Chinyere Asoegwu, who also spoke at the forum identified snoring as the biggest sleeping disorder in the country and urged parents to treat sleepwalking, talking and hallucination in their children and desist from associating such disorders with myths or social beliefs.

“Sleeping disorder is a leading cause of sudden death during sleep, especially in infants and elderly people…No sleep disorder is mild. A popular musician once died because of addiction to sleeping pills. Let us create time to sleep now, so you will not have to use drugs to put you to sleep when you are in your 50’s.” She warned

29-Year-Old Man Rapes 19-Year-Old Sister-In-Law To Death

29-year-old Titus Ime raped his in-law, a 19-year-old woman identified as Blessing John, to death.

The incident occurred in a forest at Epe. The suspect allegedly trailed Blessing to her father's farm, where he raped her to death.

Ime, reporting the incident, said he assaulted Blessing due to her refusal to date him. The rapist cum murderer blamed his dastardly act on his "great love" for the deceased.

"I just moved to Lagos from Akwa -Ibom State to look for a job when I met Blessing. She is my in-law, as my uncle is married to her elder sister," he said.

"As soon as I set my eyes on her, I fell in love with her but I kept it to myself. When I could not bear it anymore, I went to her to declare my love for her but she turned me down. I kept pestering her but she refused blatantly that she did not love me; this made me angry."

Ime added that despite Blessing's refusal to date him, he had to device a means to force her to have sex with him.

"I did not intend to kill Blessing but my feeling for her was very strong. So after monitoring her movement for some time, I discovered that she goes to the farm to uproot cassava in the evening with her father. That day, I trailed her from her house to the forest. She was alone and she did not know I was following her, when she got into the dense forest and there was no one in sight, I ran ahead of her and grabbed her, and started declaring my love for her but she turned me down.

"I was very angry and I grabbed her dress. She started struggling with me but I took a big stick and hit her on her head, she slumped immediately and I bend down over her and removed her skirt and had sex with her. All this while, she did not respond but I still had sex with her a second time but I do not know that she was dead; I thought she was just unconscious."

After committing the act, the suspect hid in the forest for four days. He however came out of his hiding when he could not bear the hunger anymore, and reported himself to his family who then handed him over to the police for prosecution.

Blessing's corpse were discovered by her father and has been deposited at a public mortuary for autopsy, while the case has been transferred to the Homicide department at Panti, Yaba for further investigation.

Culled from DailyTimes

Mo’Cheddah Reveals Ice Prince. The Juju Magician Wants To Date Her

Ko Ma Roll crooner and ace Yoruba rapper, Modupe Oreoluwa otherwise known as Mo'Cheddah is currently in a pool of dilemma. The dilemma, exclusively gathered by Nigeria DailyPost has been giving her sleepless night. The young and petite rapper recently opened up that Oleku singer, Ice Prince has been expressing his love for her but she's in doubt.
Excerpts from the interview

Ice Prince and I

He is my friend.  A very good friend of mine.  He is always proclaiming his love for me but I don't believe him.  But he is my very good friend. 
He is a beautiful rapper.  I love the texture of his voice.  His wordplay is amazing and his use of words shows he is widely read. He is intelligent.  Listening to him, you just know that intellectually, he is sound.  As a rapper, I really, really, really, really like Ice Prince.

Regular intake of chocolate makes you thin – Research

New research has suggested that people who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner.

New research has suggested that people who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner.
The research which was carried out in the US found that those who ate chocolate a few times a week were, on average, slimmer than those who ate it occasionally.

Even though chocolate is loaded with calories, it contains ingredients that may favour weight loss rather than fat synthesis, scientists believe.

According to the researchers, there is only one chance in a hundred that their findings could be explained by chance alone.

Lead author Dr Beatrice Golomb, from the University of California at San Diego, said: “Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight.”

This is not the first time scientists have suggested that chocolate may be healthy for us.

Other studies have claimed chocolate may be good for the heart.

Consumption of certain types of chocolate has been linked to some favourable changes in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level.

And chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, does contain antioxidants which can help to mop up harmful free radicals – unstable chemicals that can damage our cells.

Dr Golomb and her team believe that antioxidant compounds, called catechins, can improve lean muscle mass and reduce weight – at least studies in rodents would suggest this might be so.

Mice fed for 15 days with epicatechin (present in dark chocolate) had improved exercise performance and observable changes to their muscle composition.

They say clinical trials are now needed in humans to see if this is the case.

But before you reach for a chocolate bar, there are still lots of unanswered questions. And in the absence of conclusive evidence, experts advise caution.

While there’s no harm in allowing yourself a treat like chocolate now and again, eating too much might be harmful because it often contains a lot of sugar and fat too.

And if you are looking to change your diet, you are likely to benefit most from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Al-Qaeda plotting attack at Olympics

AL-QAEDA fanatics are plotting a deadly cyanide poison attack on the London Olympics, an investigation has found.

Extremists on a website with links to the terror group have posted detailed instructions on how to cause carnage at this summer’s Games.

The chilling online plot was uncovered as two convicted al-Qaeda terrorists were released early from jail and put back on the streets ahead of the Olympics.

And the specific nature of the “cyanide slaughter” web posts suggest they should be taken seriously by the security services.

An extremist who called himself Abu Hija Ansari said the poison should be mixed with a handcream that would enable it to be absorbed through the skin.

He wrote in Arabic: “Through skin: 1 — cyanide, 2 — skin cream. Mix the ingredients. The skin cream will open the pores in the skin and speed up the absorption and effectiveness of the poison.”

He said plotters should wear “medical gloves” when producing the lethal mixture.

A second extremist said on the website: “It is a good idea and you need to plan well.”

She added chillingly under a logo of the 2012 Games: “It’s time to prepare for the event, as once again they are interfering with innocent Muslims.”

Our investigator used a false identity to access the website which has 17,000 members worldwide and known links to six al—Qaeda terrorists.

He said: “There is a contingent using this site who want to strike at the Games. The explicit nature of what is being said would indicate more than just sabre-rattling but a wish to do real harm to the event and the people at it.”

Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the all-party homeland security group, said: “I hope the individuals are identified so action can be taken. Those who believe there is no terrorist threat are living in cloud cuckoo land.”

Britain’s security services are on high alert to counter any attack on the Olympics, which start on July 27 in the main stadium.

They will not be helped by the early release of fanatics Nabeel Hussain and Tariq al-Daour.

Hussain, 28, was given eight years in 2009 for being part of a plot to bomb 19 jets flying from Heathrow to America. Al-Daour, 26, got ten years after he was found guilty of inciting murder online in 2007. They have both been freed to London bail hostels.

Their release boosts to more than 100 the number of convicted terrorists likely to be on Britain’s streets before the Olympics.

I am not in competition with Wizkid – Davido

It’s unforgivable if you are a club regular and you don’t know the wonder boy Davido that brought us Dami duro. He is a super talented songwriter and singer who is still reeling from his impact with lime light. Yet, many industry watchers insist that his coming at this time is deliberate; possibly strategic, to counter a monopoly currently being enjoyed by the reigning young artist – Wizkid.

Davido according to the look of these comparisons has chased Wizkid into his class of fame, money and perhaps women. Their music race along the same genre. They both have well developed penning skills that leaves them twisting yoruba words beautifully together before sprinkling them most creatively down their song lines.



Davido & Wizkid

Like Wizkid, Davido has gotten his own fair share of controversies especially as it concerns love and women. A case is the ‘bad girl picture gone viral’ which many say had further helped push the young singer into the face of the media.

Yet each time Davido is confronted with this question from entertainment journalists and blogs, his answer is a firm No. In his words “There is no competition between me and Wizkid. I’m actually with him most of the time. We sometimes talk about it, laugh about it; we go on twitter and look at blogs.

I don’t know why people weigh us together. I don’t believe in turn by turn; Why can’ Wizkid have a number one song in Abuja and I have another one in Port Harcourt or somewhere else and everyone carries it together; no competition as such. I see him as a colleague, maybe if I didn’t know him personally; but I do. We are even planning some things together, so cool.”

It’s a reply many have taken with a pinch of salt. Already, there is inside talk that an album is in the cooking for the young celebrity which will be unveiled at a mind blowing event similar to the one held for Wizkid at his superstar album launch last year at the Expo hall of the Eko Hotel and suites in Lagos. There will be series of collaborations which will be featured strongly in the album. One of which should be with Wizkid himself.

Call it a test of might but this is one unconscious rivalry, everyone one in the business of entertainment reporting anxiously waits to see if it eventually unfolds.

T.I. & Tiny Renewed For Second Season

After locking in successful season one ratings, T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle  has been greenlit by VH1 for a second season . The show pulled down good numbers averaging 3.5 million total viewers during premiere plus first encore each Monday night so VH1 is bringing it back.

The network has ranked as Monday Prime’s #1 cable network among W18-49 with this and other reality shows like Basketball Wives and Love & Hip Hop on the schedule.

The second season of T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle is slated to return fall 2012

Bobby Brown Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI

Bobby Brown was arrested Monday afternoon (March 26) in California on suspicion of driving under the influence, just days after the findings of an official investigation into the death of his former wife, singer Whitney Houston, was released.

According to TMZ, Brown was pulled over in Reseda, California, at 12:20 p.m. PT for allegedly driving while talking on a cell phone. It's not known what substance police believe Brown had been using before getting behind the wheel, but law-enforcement sources told the website the singer was taken into custody at a Van Nuys jail and is awaiting bail.

As of press time, MTV News was awaiting comment from Brown's rep on the report.

Brown already has a DUI conviction on his record after pleading guilty to a 1996 arrest in Georgia. He served eight days in jail as a result of the charge.

In the days following Houston's death last month, Brown paid tribute to his ex onstage in Connecticut, telling an audience that he wanted to "give blessings to my ex-wife, Whitney Houston. I love you," before pointing toward the sky.

Those comments came just hours after Brown left Houston's funeral in Newark, New Jersey, where he had a disagreement with security inside the service. Brown would subsequently release a statement saying he was angered by security's insistence that he and his children repeatedly move seats and their refusal to let him see his and Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

Earlier this month, TMZ reported that Bobbi Kristina was contemplating changing her name "because of her association with her father" and wanted to now be known as Kristina Houston.

'Mad Men' Season-Five Premiere: The Reviews Are In!

After a 17-month break, "Mad Men" finally returns Sunday night to begin its fifth season. Its return, however, is being met with mixed reviews — well, mixed reviews for "Mad Men," that is, which would be considered raves if they were for any other series.

The devil is in the details when you're a four-time Emmy Winner for Outstanding Drama Series. After all, when you are arguably the most critically beloved series on television, you are always being compared to yourself. So now, as the cracks start to show — like they do for every series this far into its run — critics can't resist pointing them out alongside the expected raves about the show's cast and film-level production.

"The two-hour premiere feels long and is a little dreary, repeating many of the same themes that were so new and unexpected when the series first began," The New York Times writes. "Certain genres have inherent limits, and just as there are only so many ways zombies can storm a stalled car on 'The Walking Dead,' there are only so many jokes to be had from an adult's cradling an infant in one hand and a cigarette in the other on 'Mad Men.' "

This season, the show is set to tackle the social movements that began in the 1960s, in particular the civil rights movement, but having been off the air for so long, it has some catching up to do. There are loose ends from season four that need to be tied up before the show can move forward, and with race riots and picketing beginning in the streets in earnest as the season kicks off, the show works hard to get everyone up to speed so it can move forward. "The two-hour premiere ticks by mainly as a series of vignettes where familiar characters strut their familiar stuff and talk about work that no one ever seems to do," the Wall Street Journal says. "When it's over, fans will have gotten their 'Mad Men' fix, if not much of a high."

In a three (out of four) star review, Slant writes, "As is usually the case with a landmark show's return, the two-part opener, 'A Little Kiss,' is primarily concerned with establishing mood and with dropping hints as to where the narrative may lead us. [The episode] is ultimately a haunting character study that's slower and more melancholy than perhaps any episode of 'Mad Men' that's preceded it. There's a Cheever quality to 'A Little Kiss,' an unsettling sense that every inhabitant of the show is reaching a moral stasis and crisis simultaneously and exactly at the same time."

That sentiment is echoed by Variety: "Series creator Matthew Weiner resists rushing into anything, easing into a reset of where players currently stand in a manner — especially given the protracted absence — that should leave all but the most ardent fans trying to putty-in the gaps. Each time-lapse introduces more wrinkles in the show's world, but the premiere offers a sketchy road map of what's to come, and won't expand 'Men's' footprint beyond its solid arthouse niche."

To be clear, the above reviews are generally positive, talking about the show's "deserved accolades" and especially about Jon Hamm's performance, but "Mad Men" has moved beyond the point of "is it good?" criticism and deep into the land of near-doctoral study of its intricate plotting and how its dealings with the rebellious '60s symbolize what's going on in our current world. When critics are simply asked to assign it a grade, they are, like Newsday, mostly offering up A's.

In its rave review, Newsday declares, " 'Mad Men' is back and back in all the right ways — the humor, the writing, the period details, and best of all, the flawless attention to these characters and their cluttered interior worlds."

Assigning the season-five debut four stars (out of four), USA Today praises the show's "meticulous" attention to detail and goes on to cheer, "No series sets a higher, more consistent level of excellence, a level sustained, fans will be pleased to hear, as 'Mad Men' returns after a 17-month absence. ... That high level of achievement extends to the cast, led by the shockingly under-Emmyed Jon Hamm, playing a man who is his own deeply flawed invention and letting us see the effort and pain behind the charade. But there's not a weak performer on view Sunday, from the preternaturally assured Kiernan Shipka as Sally to old pro Robert Morse as Bert."

So it seems fans will not be disappointed by Sunday's episode. Consensus opinion seems to be that while it might not rank as one of the series' best, it does a good job of catching everyone up and setting the tone for what will surely be a riveting season of highbrow television.

Will you be watching "Mad Men" on Sunday? Let us know in the comments below.

Game Says He Would Love To Hear A Rick Ross, Dr. Dre Collaboration

While speaking with MTV News, rapper Game revealed that he’s quite intrigued by the possibility of a collaboration between Rick Ross and iconic producer Dr. Dre on Ross’ upcoming album God Forgives, I Don’t.  The Compton rapper revealed that with Rick Ross being at the height of his career and Dr. Dre’s strength as a producer a song between the two artists would make for a “dope collaboration.” "I mean I don't know, that's kinda crazy. I think that Dre know what he doin' and Ross his career just hit a launchpad and then went to the moon. So I think it’ll be a dope collaboration,” Game explained to MTV News. As far as Dr. Dre working with an artist who’s considered a rival of 50 Cent, Game didn’t have too much to say in regards to that situation.  “I would love to hear Rick Ross over Dr. Dre's production,” said Game. “Can’t too much speak for 50 Cent or Dre's intentions, but yeah, I don't know." God Forgives, I Don’t is expected to be released sometime this spring.  RELATED: Rick Ross Confirms Working With Dr. Dre For "Detox" & "God Forgives, I Don't"

While speaking with MTV News, rapper Game revealed that he’s quite intrigued by the possibility of a collaboration between Rick Ross and iconic producer Dr. Dre on Ross’ upcoming album God Forgives, I Don’t. 

The Compton rapper revealed that with Rick Ross being at the height of his career and Dr. Dre’s strength as a producer a song between the two artists would make for a “dope collaboration.”

"I mean I don't know, that's kinda crazy. I think that Dre know what he doin' and Ross his career just hit a launchpad and then went to the moon. So I think it’ll be a dope collaboration,” Game explained to MTV News.

As far as Dr. Dre working with an artist who’s considered a rival of 50 Cent, Game didn’t have too much to say in regards to that situation. 

“I would love to hear Rick Ross over Dr. Dre's production,” said Game. “Can’t too much speak for 50 Cent or Dre's intentions, but yeah, I don't know."

God Forgives, I Don’t is expected to be released sometime this spring.

Bomb scare in American embassy in Abuja

The staff of  the United States' embassy in Abuja and people around its vicinity were thrown into pandemonium after the heard a bang which they assumed to be a bomb blast on Monday afternoon. 

But eyewitnesses said they saw teenagers set off fireworks on an undeveloped plot located a few metres from the well-guarded American embassy.

Also, some policemen at the Diplomatic zone, which houses several embassies, told NAN that the ``panic and confusion’’ was started after fireworks went off.

A petty trader at the location told NAN that although he was not sure what the thunderous noise he heard was, he thought it was fireworks and only ran because everyone else did.  

``I hear noise and see smoke; people dey run and I think say na knock out and people say na gun shot, naim I pick my egg roll and Kunu and run too,'' he said

In an e-mail to reporters, Deb MacLean, the Information Officer at the U.S. embassy said ``We believe there were shots fired in the vicinity of the U.S. embassy. The Nigerian authorities have two individuals in custody. We refer you to the Nigeria police for further information.''

Mr. Jimoh Moshood, the FCT Police Command spokesman, confirmed that the police received a report of an incident near the U.S. embassy.

``We immediately sent in a patrol van and personnel to the scene but there was no shooting,’’ he said. However, Mr. Moshood  said no arrest had been made in connection with the incident.

Rihanna: Getting Naked Boosted My Body Image

Still scratching your head at that topless Pebbles Fintstone picture Rihanna posted on Twitter? Apparently the singer was just in the need of a little confidence boost (and felt the need to share it with her fans).

In the latest issue of Britain's Women's Fitness magazine, Rihanna explains her penchant for pantslessness. "The more I got naked, the more comfortable I felt," she says. "I just had to face my fear. You always find something wrong, you always find something you’re uncomfortable with, and one thing turns into another and you get embarrassed and self-conscious about it. After a while, it was like, 'What’s the worst that can happen?' I just started being a little more daring with it. It was just knowing my body … is what it is under clothes or outside of clothes."

That definitely sounds a lot better than years of therapy, but RiRi warns you shouldn't try this at home. "My way probably won't work for most people," she admits.

James Cameron Dives to Ocean's Deepest Point to Explore and Film the Marianas Trench

James Cameron has just made contact with the real-life abyss.

The King of the World can now crown himself the King of the Deep as he matched the 35,756 foot world record earlier today at 5:52 PM ET for the deepest dive ever with a solo excursion into the Western Pacific's famed Marianas Trench. The filmmaker even took to Twitter to share the excitement, writing, "Just arrived at the ocean's deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good. Can't wait to share what I'm seeing w/ you @DeepChallenge."

And just as you'd expect, he's filming the historic dive—in 3D no less!

To paraphrase a line from Aliens, Cameron was on an express elevator 7 miles down to a place only two other humans have gone previously. To put that in perspective, the director-turned-deep sea explorer plunged for two hours to the equivalent of where commercial airliners fly in the sky—or a point that's more than 6,000 feet lower than Mt. Everest at its peak if you flipped it upside down and stuck it in the Pacific.

Cameron's historic expedition to the bottom-most point of the Marianas Trench, aptly named the Challenger Deep, equaled the plunge taken a half century ago in 1960 by a U.S. Navy lieutenant and a Swiss oceanographer.

But unlike the former team who stayed on the bottom for only 20 minutes and reported seeing mostly murky clouds of sediment kicked up by their craft, the Titanic filmmaker plans to remain down in the frigid watery tundra in his Deepsea Challenger submersible for approximately 6 hours. He is only able to communicate with mission control above at that depth via text message.

For those thinking he might run into some xenomorphs (read Aliens), sorry to disappoint.

But with the aid of LED lights to illuminate the pitch black darkness, two 3-D cameras encased in titanium pressure casings mounted outside the sub and an Imax-quality HD camera mounted in the sub's interior by the small viewport, Cameron will record footage that no human has ever seen before.

After touring the bottom, the director will unload more than 1,000 pounds of iron ballast weights to the ocean floor and start the two-hour ascent back to the surface.

The dive is being sponsored by Cameron, Rolex and the National Geographic Society, where the filmmaker is an explorer-in-residence; the team has been chronicling the journey on its Website, deepseachallenge.com.

Not only will the vast amount of scientific data collected be put to good use, but Cameron plans turn the footage into a 3D Imax movie that will be released to theaters as well as a Nat Geographic special.

And no doubt, the experience will inspire him when he finally starts production on Avatar 2 and 3.

Have a safe journey, Mr. Cameron.

Hunger Games’ Breaks Records with $155 Million Opening Weekend

“The Hunger Games” hit the box-office bull’s-eye over the weekend, taking in a record $155 million in North America and setting up what promises to be one of the biggest film franchises of this decade.

Jennifer Lawrence stars as a teenage survivalist in a recycled American frontier myth in “The Hunger Games,” a film adaptation of the Suzanne Collins novel.
Movie Overview | Trailers | Rate and Review

‘Hunger Games’ Brings Out Legions of Fans, and Inflatable Mattresses (March 21, 2012)
How ‘Hunger Games’ Built Up Must-See Fever (March 19, 2012)
Peer Pressure? How About, Like, Fighting to Death? (March 11, 2012)

Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games."
Backed by a meticulously executed marketing campaign from Lionsgate, “The Hunger Games” was a gigantic No. 1 and set multiple sales records, including the strongest opening weekend total for a spring release, not accounting for inflation. The previous record holder, “Alice in Wonderland,” directed by Tim Burton, took in $116.1 million over its first three days in March 2010 and went on to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales at the global box office.

Nobody is predicting that kind of worldwide total for “The Hunger Games,” partly because, unlike “Alice in Wonderland,” it was not made available in 3-D, which costs $3 to $5 more per ticket to see. But “The Hunger Games” could easily take in $500 million to $700 million, depending on overseas interest, box-office analysts said. Lionsgate said international ticket sales for the weekend were estimated at $59.3 million.

“It proves that distributors don’t have to wait until the summer or the holiday season to release tent poles,” said Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com, using Hollywood slang for broad event films. “If a movie looks intriguing, customers will show up, no matter what the calendar reads.”

He added: “This opening is a passing of the baton. The end of ‘Harry Potter’ and the impending ‘Twilight’ finale resulted in a marketplace that was hungry for a new, popular franchise to cling to.” The roughly $155 million for “The Hunger Games” opening weekend is the third biggest in Hollywood history, not accounting for inflation, behind only “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” and “The Dark Knight,” according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data.

“The Hunger Games,” directed by Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit”), stars Jennifer Lawrence as a 16-year-old who is forced to battle other children to the death for a futuristic society’s televised amusement. Lionsgate and Nina Jacobson’s Color Force Productions adapted the movie from Suzanne Collins’s best-selling novel of the same name for about $80 million.

Three more films, based on the remaining two books in Ms. Collins’s “Hunger Games” trilogy, are planned. More than 24 million copies of the trilogy are in print in the United States alone, according to Scholastic, the books’ publisher.

“The Hunger Games,” rated PG-13, represents the kind of out-of-the-park successes that can transform a studio. The release represents a stunning reversal for Lionsgate, which has been struggling mightily of late, with flops over the last two years like “Killers,” “Conan the Barbarian” and “Warrior.”

Lionsgate, until now mostly known for the defunct “Saw” franchise and for distributing Tyler Perry’s movies, pursued “The Hunger Games” as part of a strategy — set by its former movie chief, Joe Drake — of taking on more ambitious films for bigger box-office payoffs. Mr. Drake, who was replaced at the studio in January but has remained to see “The Hunger Games” to fruition, was understandably ebullient over the weekend as ticket results trickled in.

He wrote of the Lionsgate team in an e-mail: “I’m watching the looks on their faces as the numbers come in and they realize what they’ve accomplished — the greatest joy in the business!!!”

Another Lionsgate executive who was crucial to “The Hunger Games,” Alli Shearmur, was also replaced in recent months, a result of the studio’s acquisition of Summit Entertainment. The runaway success of “The Hunger Games” puts pressure on Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate’s chief executive, to prevent even more of the people responsible for the biggest success in his company’s history from leaving.

Hollywood and some Wall Street investors are closely watching to see if Lionsgate can retain its chief marketing officer, Tim Palen. Mr. Palen, whose departure could prompt others to leave, has formed close ties to Ms. Collins.

“The Hunger Games” received strong critical reaction, and audiences in exit polls gave it an A score, which means the movie will probably play well in the weekends ahead. Lionsgate said the audience was 39 percent male, which is another sign of a cultural juggernaut. In comparison, the “Twilight” movies have been mostly a female phenomenon; the audience for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part I” was only 20 percent male, for instance.

People interested in going to the movies over the weekend would have had a hard time escaping “The Hunger Games,” which played in 4,137 locations, including 268 Imax theaters. Greg Foster, president of Imax Filmed Entertainment, credited a “flawless” marketing campaign by Mr. Palen and “an incredibly satisfying film.”

The second-biggest film in North America was “21 Jump Street,” which took in about $21.3 million for Sony and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, lifting its two-week total to a robust $71.1 million. “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” (Universal) was third, selling about $13.1 million in tickets for a four-week total of $177.3 million. “John Carter” was fourth, taking in $5 million (for a four-week total of $62.3 million), while Relativity Media’s “Act of Valor” was fifth, taking in $2.1 million (for a five-week total of $65.9 million).

Despite experiencing one of the biggest flops in memory, “John Carter,” which forced Disney to take a $200 million write down, Hollywood has sharply improved its performance over last year. Even before “The Hunger Games” arrived, attendance for the year was 18 percent higher than the same period in 2011, fueled by hits like “The Lorax” and “The Vow.” Now attendance is now up 22 percent