A new dawn for one of YA’s most iconic franchises.

Few franchises have shaped young adult culture quite like The Hunger Games. This year, audiences return to Panem for one of the franchise’s most anticipated stories yet.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping puts Haymitch Abernathy at the centre of the story, taking audiences back to the 50th Hunger Games and revealing the events that transformed him from a teenager in District 12 into the sharp-witted, battle-worn mentor fans came to know and love.

Since The Hunger Games first hit cinemas in 2012, the franchise has become one of the defining forces in youth culture, generating more than $3.3 billion at the global box office and selling over 100 million books worldwide. That cultural pull remains just as powerful today, with 2023’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes performing strongly despite being further removed from the core trilogy.

If The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes proved audiences were still hungry for Panem, Sunrise on the Reaping takes that demand to another level. Centred on one of the franchise’s most beloved characters, the film is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ record-breaking 2025 novel, which sold nearly three times as many first-week copies as Mockingjay. With Haymitch back at the heart of the story and fan appetite stronger than ever, the stage is set for one of the franchise’s biggest returns yet.

Australian breakout Joseph Zada steps into the iconic role of Haymitch alongside a stacked cast including Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close and Elle Fanning. In a major fan moment, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will also return to their iconic roles as Katniss and Peeta from the original series in a flash-forward sequence.

With huge youth appeal, cross-generational fandom and one of Panem’s most loved characters at its heart, Sunrise on the Reaping is shaping up to be one of the biggest youth cinema events of the year.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping releases in cinemas November 19.