‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ First Reactions
The first audience reactions to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping have appeared after its London premiere and limited screenings on 28 October. Early viewers praised its emotional story, performances and third act, with several calling it among the franchise’s strongest films; full critics’ reviews are expected closer to its 30 November release.
The film follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy during the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell, which features twice as many tributes. Set 24 years before the original series, it stars Joseph Zada alongside Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close and others, and is directed by Francis Lawrence. It is the sixth film in the franchise and adapts Suzanne Collins’ novel.
In short
- Early reactions praise the film’s cast and emotional story.
- Joseph Zada plays a young Haymitch in the Second Quarter Quell.
- The film is due in cinemas on 30 November.
Explained simply
The Hunger Games is a series of novels and films set in Panem, a future country ruled by the wealthy Capitol. Each year, the Capitol forces young people from its poorer districts to fight in a televised contest called the Hunger Games.
This film is set 24 years before the original story and follows Haymitch Abernathy, aged 16, in the 50th Games. This edition, called the Second Quarter Quell, has twice as many young contestants as usual; Joseph Zada plays Haymitch, and Francis Lawrence directs.
The story is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ novel and is the sixth Hunger Games film. Haymitch is known to audiences from the original series, where he is an adult mentor, so this earlier story gives context to his past and to the world the later films depict.