Netflix has added the entire Hunger Games film franchise to its library, marking an unexpected coup for the streamer as it builds out its sci-fi catalogue. The move comes ahead of two significant milestones for the dystopian young-adult saga, giving subscribers the chance to revisit or discover the series before the next instalment reaches cinemas. The franchise, often likened to a mix of Divergent and Battle Royale, follows a society in which children are forced into a televised fight to the death, blending action with commentary on power, propaganda and inequality.

All five films arrived on Netflix on 14 July, comprising the original four-movie arc plus the 2023 prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The core series stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, the District 12 teenager who volunteers for the deadly Games in her younger sister's place and later becomes the figurehead of a rebellion against the Capitol. The timing gives fans roughly four months to catch up before the franchise's next theatrical release, expected in September.