The Hunger Games is heading back to the big screen, all of it.
Lionsgate and Fathom Entertainment announced Thursday that The Hunger Games: All Five Films returns to theaters September 3-7, with one film screening per night and each carrying an exclusive theatrical sneak peek of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping ahead of its November 20 release.
Tickets are on sale now through Fathom.
The lineup runs in franchise order. The original 2012 Hunger Games kicks things off Thursday, September 3, followed by Catching Fire on Friday, Mockingjay Part 1 on Saturday, Mockingjay Part 2 on Sunday, and the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes closing out the event on Monday, September 7.
Lionsgate worldwide distribution president Kevin Grayson said the studio is “kicking off the countdown to the 50th Hunger Games” and called Sunrise on the Reaping “the most highly anticipated Hunger Games film yet.”
Fathom CEO Jason Brenek added that each film features “a distinct, theatrical exclusive look” at the new movie.
Everything We Know About Sunrise On The Reaping
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the events of the original film, opening on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell.
That means Haymitch’s Games, with Joseph Zada leading the cast as a young Haymitch Abernathy and Ralph Fiennes taking over as President Snow.
The stacked cast also includes Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. Franchise veteran Francis Lawrence directs from a script by Billy Ray and Michael Lesslie, based on the Suzanne Collins novel.
The Timing Says Everything About Lionsgate’s Suitors
A five-night theatrical victory lap for a franchise that has grossed over $3.4 billion worldwide is a smart marketing play for Sunrise on the Reaping. It is also a very public reminder of what the Lionsgate library actually is, at the exact moment half of Hollywood is kicking the tires.
As we exclusively reported, Disney is targeting Lionsgate to win back males and families, with insiders pointing to The Hunger Games as immediate franchise depth.
Netflix is still circling the studio despite the denials, and on both fronts the library is the prize: John Wick, Twilight, Saw, and the crown jewel getting a five-night showcase in September.
It also fits our earlier reporting that Disney is prepping for war with the merged Paramount-WBD, where legacy IP is the ammunition.
And it slots right into Hollywood’s 180 back to the very fans it spent years shunning, because nothing says four-quadrant, meat-and-potatoes programming like Katniss Everdeen back on the big screen.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens everywhere November 20. The Hunger Games: All Five Films runs September 3-7 with tickets available now at participating theaters.
Watch the trailer:
