Summary
The movie adaptation of the newHunger GamesnovelSunrise on the Reapinghas received an official release date. The five-movie franchise is based on the young adult novel series of the same name by Suzanne Collins, which incorporates the original trilogy, published between 2008 and 2010, and the 2020 prequelThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. TheupcomingSunrise on the Reaping, which is another prequel set during the Fiftieth Hunger Games, is set to be published on June 02, 2025.
On the same day that the book’s publication was announced,Lionsgateannounced that they are mounting a film adaptation ofSunrise on the Reaping. The movie isset to premiere on June 04, 2025. It will be helmed by returning director Francis Lawrence, who has made every movie in the franchise since 2013’sCatching Fireafter taking the reins from the first movie’s director Gary Ross. Producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are also set to return.
The Previous Hunger Games Prequel Was Far From A Smash Hit
However, there are signs that the moviecould be a bigger hit than the previous installment.
While it makes sense thatSunrise on the Reapingwould be adapted into a movie just like every other one of Collins' previous novels in the series, the latest installment in the big screen franchise,The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was not as successful as the earlier movies. While it seemingly made a profit, it was not a hit at the level of even the lowest-grossing title of the original quadrilogy. Below, see a breakdown of the box office performance of the previousHunger Gamesmovies:
$78 million
$695.2 million
~$130 million
$865 million
~$125 million
$755.4 million
$160 million
$661.4 million
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes(2023)
$100 million
$337.4 million
Because a movie typically needs to earn back at least twice its production budget to break even, if theSunrise on the Reapingmovie were to fall much lower thanSongbirds and Snakes$337.4 million, it would be difficult to justify a $100 million blockbuster budget. However, there are signs that the moviecould be a bigger hit than the previous installment. WhileSongbirds and Snakesfollowed the younger years of the original trilogy’s villain President Coriolanus Snow, even more legacy characters will be able to appear in the new movie.
Sunrise on the Reaping, which will take place 40 years afterSongbirds and SnakesontheHunger Gamestimeline, will most likely follow a young Haymitch Abernathy, who was the winner of the Fiftieth Hunger Games. Because the timeline is much closer to the original installment, which takes place 24 years later, many other adult characters from the original trilogy could return as younger versions of themselves. This could provide more of a boost to viewership than the previous movie, which centered on one complicated character rather than multiple characters who are more beloved.
Source: Lionsgate
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a multi-movie franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The films are based on the young adult dystopian book series by author Suzanne Collins. The first film was released in 2012, followed by Catching Fire in 2013, Mockingjay Part 1 in 2014, and Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. In 2023, the fifth film in the series was released, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
