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Ahead of Sunrise on the Reaping, here’s how past Hunger Games movies fared at the box office
With over USD 3.3 billion earned globally, The Hunger Games franchise eyes a fresh revival as Sunrise on the Reaping gears up for a 2026 release despite waning returns.
The next chapter in The Hunger Games saga is not only officially on the horizon—it’s catching pace. At the recently concluded CinemaCon, Lionsgate teased Sunrise on the Reaping by unveiling its fiery new logo but stopped short of revealing any major casting details or footage from the highly anticipated sequel.
The film, based on Suzanne Collins’ latest novel, will begin production this July and is slated to hit theaters on November 20, 2026.
Amid the development, here’s a look at how the previous five films in the franchise have performed at the box office.
Since its debut in 2012, The Hunger Games franchise has become one of the most successful YA franchises of all time. The first film, known simply as The Hunger Games, raked in USD 677 million worldwide on a modest USD 80 million budget. Its sequel, 2013’s Catching Fire, earned an impressive USD 864 million on a slightly higher price tag of USD 130 million. Mockingjay – Part One (2014) underperformed in comparison to the second film, falling nearly a hundred million short to bring in USD 766 million on a USD 125 million investment.
Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015), the most expensive installment in the franchise with a USD 160 million budget, managed only USD 646 million. However, its underperformance looks like a silver lining when stacked against The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023), which collected only a respectable USD 349 million on a USD 100 million budget.
Film |
Budget |
Worldwide Gross |
| The Hunger Games (2012) | USD 80 million | USD 677.9 million |
| Catching Fire (2013) | USD 130 million | USD 864.8 million |
| Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) | USD 125 million | USD 766.6 million |
| Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) | USD 160 million | USD 646.2 million |
| The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023) | USD 100 million | USD 349 million |
With the franchise on a declining curve, Lionsgate will hope for a boost with Sunrise on the Reaping. Francis Lawrence, who has been a mainstay in this saga since Catching Fire, will direct. Billy Ray will return to write the screenplay.
“We’re really just getting into the casting process,” Lawrence said at CinemaCon. “We’ve been working on this draft for a year.”
Lionsgate played a short sizzle reel at the annual trade show featuring a flaming Mockingjay transforming into a snake. Both creatures, for those unversed, are powerful emblems in The Hunger Games lore. Woody Harrelson, per reports online, was heard saying in the footage, “I think these games are going to be different.” Though Harrelson’s return hasn’t been confirmed, the story centers on a young Haymitch during the 50th Hunger Games—also known as the Second Quarter Quell—set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s rebellion.
With the franchise already raking in nearly USD 3.35 billion globally, Lionsgate is betting that Sunrise on the Reaping will deliver another blockbuster chapter.
ALSO READ: 6 Hunger Games Theories That Might Feature In New Haymitch Prequel Book, Check Them Out
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