The Return of The Hunger Games: The Prequel Film

Aira Casas documents the newest release to The Hunger Games franchise.

Image Credit: Lionsgate

After 8 years since the last Hunger Games film was released, the beloved YA dystopian franchise has returned with a new prequel film on November 17, set 64 years before the events of Katniss Everdeen in the original trilogy. The film centers around young Coriolanus Snow and the events of his rise to power.

Released as a novel on May 19, 2020 by Suzanne Collins, the same author who wrote the original trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay), The Ballad of Songbirds

and Snakes covers events which involve Coriolanus Snow being a mentor for District 12’s tribute Lucy Gray Baird during the 10th Hunger Games, and his romantic relationship with her. The new stars of the franchise that was once top billed by actors Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth now includes actors like Tom Blyth, who now plays young Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland), Rachel Zelger, Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, and many more stars in the film. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence, who directed the last 3 Hunger Games films.

Production of the film began in late May 2022, with Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler cast as young Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird, respectively. Then, casting the rest in June, filming began in countries like Poland and Germany between July and November of 2022. In August 2022, Lionsgate, the distributor of the franchise, released a teaser image of Blyth and Zelger as their respective characters. In late April 2023, during CinemaCon, an official poster was released alongside an official trailer, showcasing the crazy events in the film. On September 2023, the 2nd official trailer was released, sharing a sneak peek of Zegler’s rendition of Lawrence’s “The Hanging Tree,” released last October.

The film first premiered in Berlin on November 5th, followed by premieres in London, LA, and recently in NYC. Debuted 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, early reviews of films have been mixed, one review says that the film is “One of the best 'The Hunger Games' films.” While another says it “fails to breathe new life into the Hunger Games franchise.”

According to DEADLINE, the box office prediction for the film “is eyeing $50M on tracking and another $50M abroad.” with a total of $100M during its opening weekend. Despite this, Hunger Games fans are excited for the film, serving as a return for a beloved franchise for old fans, but also new fans to watch.