Summary

• The Hunger Games franchise has been the most popular young adult series, dominating both literature and film since 2008.
• The franchise includes three novels and four films, with a prequel book and movie released in 2020 and 2023 respectively.
• The series portrays a dystopian world where young men and women fight to the death in an annual televised event called The Hunger Games.

Ever since 2008, The Hunger Games franchise has dominated the young adult (or YA) genre in both literature and film. The late 2000s and early 2010s saw the rise in popularity of YA novels, largely thanks to the success of the Harry Potter series. The Twilight saga, the Divergent series, and The Maze Runner books are just some of the YA titles that sprouted up during this era and that went on to receive big-screen adaptations. Though each franchise was met with varying degrees of success, The Hunger Games movies remained the most popular of all.

The main book series consists of three novels written by author Suzanne Collins that were adapted into four films between 2012 and 2015. In 2020, a prequel book was released, depicting the events that took place decades before the main plot. Titled The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it was later turned into a movie in 2023. All the films are set in the fictional dystopian nation of Panem, and each one portrays events surrounding the eponymous Hunger Games, an annual event that sees young men and women fight to the death in front of a live televised audience.

With many characters, lore, and differing time periods, The Hunger Games franchise can seem a little overwhelming to those unfamiliar with the series. So, to make things easier, here's an overview of all the Hunger Games films in both chronological order and in order of release.

Update December 12, 2023: This article has been updated following the release of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The Hunger Games Movies in Chronological Order

• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
• The Hunger Games
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Read Our Review

2023's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes acts as a prequel to the original series, taking place 64 years prior to the events of the first Hunger Games movie. It revolves around the 10th annual Hunger Games and a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), who would later become the tyrannical dictator-like figure of the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem. As a result, the film is essentially a villain origin story for the character.

At this point in the series' fictional history, the Games themselves are still a relatively new concept, having been introduced as a way of punishing the poor folk of the districts for an uprising against the wealthy people of Capitol just over a decade earlier. Every year, a boy and a girl from each of the twelve districts are chosen as 'tributes' to compete with one another in a fight for survival. However, people have already started to become disinterested in the Games despite them having only been in existence for a comparatively short amount of time. Their creator, Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage), therefore, proposes that this year, the emphasis be put on spectacle over skill. In other words, the winner won't necessarily be the one who survives but the one who entertains the viewers the most.

Related: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Ending, Explained

Coriolanus is tasked with mentoring a District 12 girl by the name of Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), whose melodic singing voice the pair plan to use in order to win. As they prepare for what lies ahead, Coriolanus develops feelings for Lucy Gray, which she seemingly reciprocates. In the arena, Coriolanus assists Lucy Gray from afar, which results in him being branded a cheat and sent to work as a Peacekeeper in the districts.

In District 12, Coriolanus reunites with Lucy Gray. However, their happiness doesn't last long. Out of fear of his dream of returning to the Capitol being taken away from him, Coriolanus betrays his best friend, Sejanus (Josh Andrés Rivera), who was plotting to help a group of rebels escape. This results in Sejanus being hanged. When Lucy Gray learns that Coriolanus is responsible, she attempts to run away from her former lover, and her fate remains unknown. These events propel Coriolanus to kill Highbottom and begin his training as a Gamemaker, while also reinforcing a sentiment laid out earlier in the film; that what happens in the Games - people becoming predators out of fear of being the prey - can, and does, happen in the real world. Currently playing in theaters.

The Hunger Games

The first movie in the main series, The Hunger Games, is where the movie franchise originally kicked off. Centering around the 74th Annual Hunger Games, the film introduces audiences to Panem, the Capitol, and the twelve districts, as well as setting out how the Games work. The name of every eligible person from each district is put into a jar in order for two of the names - a male and a female - to be selected at random to fight to the death in a gladiatorial competition known as The Hunger Games.

The film also establishes the main character, Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence), a young District 12 woman who regularly sneaks out past the community boundaries in order to hunt using a bow and arrow. Her life in the poor mining community is turned upside down when her younger sister, Primrose, is chosen to be the district’s tribute. Out of love for her sibling, Katniss immediately volunteers to take Prim's place, sealing her fate and sending her off to the Capitol to fight in the Games alongside District 12's male tribute, Peeta Mellark ((Josh Hutcherson).

Like Lucy Gray Baird before her, Katniss quickly learns that the Games are as much about spectacle as skill and, with the help of Peeta - who confesses his feelings for Katniss live on TV - as well as her mentor Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), she becomes a favorite among viewers. During the game itself, Katniss struggles not only to survive the other competitors but also to survive the deadly surprises the game makers throw her way. By the time the Game concludes, Katniss has lost allies, been forced to kill in self-defense, and witnessed death and barbarity all around her.

However, as has been the case with all the Games since they began, the barbarity and savagery displayed in the arena is nothing compared to the inhumanity shown by those who make it happen. While reminiscent of the great Japanese movie Battle Royale, The Hunger Games stands on its own as a clever and gently satirical piece of dystopian fiction. Stream on DirecTV

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second installment in the original series, is widely considered to be the best of the bunch. Following their joint victory at the 74th Annual Hunger Games a year earlier, Katniss and Peeta partake in the traditional Victory Tour that sees them travel from district to district, being paraded around for the Capitol’s entertainment. However, they find that their act of defiance in not killing each other has inspired small acts of rebellion, which are spreading to other districts and 'catching fire'.

Fearing a full-blown uprising, President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) threatens to kill Katniss and Peeta's loved ones should they not pretend to be in love during the tour. Furthermore, for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, also known as the third Quarter Quell, Snow pulls out all the stops, which includes changing the rules so that all participants will be made up entirely of previous victors. This, predictably, means Katniss and Peeta are once again chosen to compete.

Related: The Hunger Games: The Best Scenes From the Franchise, Ranked

Upon arriving at the Capitol, the pair learn more about their fellow competitors, and Haymitch advises them to make allies this time. They do, and while in the jungle-themed arena, they act as part of an alliance with half a dozen other participants. Between overcoming obstacles, such as genetically modified mandrills and poisonous fog, as well as some of their fellow competitors, Katniss and Peeta develop real feelings for one another and share a genuine kiss.

In the end, Katniss, once again, gets out alive by refusing to play by the rules and by not allowing her humanity to be lost to the savagery of the Games. She also learns that half of the tributes protected Katniss as part of a plan by Haymitch and the new Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who want Katniss to be the face of a new rebellion. Stream on DirecTV

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss and Peeta are still separated following the events of the previous film. She and a few of the other Hunger Games participants are taken to District 13, an underground district few know about after it was destroyed long ago for starting a rebellion. Katniss's act of defiance in the last Hunger Games has, once again, sparked rebellions around the districts, with over half of them joining District 13 in rising up against the Capitol. As an act of revenge, Snow bombs District 12 and uses Peeta as a figurehead to try and quell the revolution. Reluctantly, Katniss agrees to be the face of the rebellion, becoming known as the "Mockingjay".

In a bid to gain support for her cause, Katniss, aided by her childhood friend, Gale (Liam Hemsworth), lets herself be filmed traveling around the different districts, specifically at different sites of the rebellion. Her team then hacked into the broadcast channels so that everyone could see the footage. Snow does his best to try and stop her, bombing a hospital she was in while she was broadcasting, but her survival only helps to further fuel the rebellion. He continues to use Peeta as a puppet, that is, until Peeta, live on TV, warns everyone of Snow's intention to attack District 13. A special forces team is then dispatched to rescue Peeta from the Capitol, along with the few other remaining survivors of the most recent Games.

The only thing that stands in the way of the rebellion completely taking over and being able to overcome the Capitol is District 2, which is the only district that still remains loyal to the Capitol. Together, the rebellion must subdue the district before finally moving onto the main target — the Capitol itself.

While this installment of the series is considered weaker than what came before it, which is likely the result of it only really being half a film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, nevertheless, expands the story of Katniss Everdeen while providing greater insight into the world of Panem that exists outside of the Games themselves. The film has now been slightly improved by the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, as it is revealed the Hanging Tree song that Katniss sings that becomes a symbol of the rebellion was originally written and performed by Lucy Gray Baird. This means that while Lucy's fate was left unknown, her legacy lived on and would plant the seeds that would be Snow's downfall years later.

Stream on DirecTV

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

The series comes to a violent close in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, which begins with Peeta in recovery after he was brainwashed in the last installment.l. Meanwhile, Katniss works with the rebellion to convince District 2 to turn on the Capitol and join them in taking over. She plans to go to the Capitol but is denied by the rebellion leader, President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), who is determined to secure District 2 before any assault on the Capitol can be made.

Related: The Hunger Games: Every Movie in the Franchise, Ranked

Katniss decides to sneak out on her own, joining a specialized military team known as the Star Squad, which also consists of Gale, a few familiar faces from the Hunger Games, and a supposedly recovered Peeta. They make their way through the streets, avoiding and deactivating the deadly traps wherever possible, as Coin uses clips of their movements as propaganda. Of course, not everything goes to plan, and most of the squad ends up dying as a result of the lethal traps.

After Snow bombs a house the remaining survivors had hidden in, he believes them all to be dead and attempts to quell the rebellion with news of Katniss’ death. Katniss and the surviving members of her crew, meanwhile, are saved by Snow's cousin Tigris (who audiences got to learn more about in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes where she was played by Hunter Schafer), before Katniss and Gale hide among a crowd of Capitol supporters that gather to protect Snow.

As Snow is defeated, Katniss learns of Coin's plan, as the new president, to have one last Hunger Games using the children of Capitol leaders. Katniss and many of her fellow tributes are angered by this decision, a move that, ultimately, exposes Coin as no better than Snow and that, once again, underlines the series' main theme: that people will become the predator out of fear of becoming prey.

The movie ends with a flash forward as audiences learn Katniss and Peeta have married and settled down with the kids who will not have to know the life of the Hunger Games. Yet Katniss and Peeta themselves are forever scarred by the events, and while they fight for a better future, it costs them their own innocence.

With the release of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the film series now becomes a massive epic that spans decades about how the youth of a nation can change the world. Snow became corrupted by power. The sins of his younger self were felt through generations until it was broken by Katniss.

Stream on DirecTV

The Hunger Games Movies by Release Date

The first Hunger Games film was released in March 2012 and broke box office records for the biggest March opening ever. The franchise then moved to the coveted week before the Thanksgiving release date that Twilight had been occupying for years. When the franchise returned with the recently released prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it gladly returned to that November release date.

Want to learn more about The Hunger Games franchise? Here are all 13 Districts in the franchise explained.