Every Hunger Games movie ranked before Sunrise on the Reaping
Catching Fire is the best Hunger Games movie, the 2012 original is second, and Mockingjay Part 1 is the weakest. If you only have time to rewatch one before The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens in US cinemas on November 20, 2026, make it Catching Fire, because it’s the film that shows you Haymitch’s world most clearly.
Label: ranking and opinion. Critic scores are from Rotten Tomatoes and box office figures from Slashfilm, linked below. The order is Pylcrow’s opinion.
How do the Hunger Games movies rank?
We used the Pylcrow Arena Test: four questions, each scored 0 to 2.5, for a total out of 10. Does the story work on its own? Do the Games themselves thrill? Does it say something about power? And does it hold up on a rewatch?
| Rank | Film | Year | Rotten Tomatoes | Worldwide box office | Arena Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catching Fire | 2013 | 90% | about $865m | 9.5/10 |
| 2 | The Hunger Games | 2012 | 84% | about $694m | 8.5/10 |
| 3 | The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes | 2023 | n/a | n/a | 7.5/10 |
| 4 | Mockingjay Part 2 | 2015 | about 70% | about $653m | 7/10 |
| 5 | Mockingjay Part 1 | 2014 | about 65-69% | about $755m | 6/10 |
Scores and grosses as reported by Rotten Tomatoes and Slashfilm. We’ve left Ballad’s figures out of the table rather than quote numbers we couldn’t confirm.
Why is Catching Fire the best?
It takes everything the first film set up and raises the stakes. The Quarter Quell, a special Games with past victors, is the smartest twist in the series. The arena, built like a clock, is the best designed. And Francis Lawrence, who directs Sunrise on the Reaping, made it look far bigger than the first film. It was also the series’ biggest hit.
It matters for the new film too. The Quarter Quell idea is central to Sunrise on the Reaping, which is set during the 50th Hunger Games, the second Quarter Quell, when a young Haymitch Abernathy is reaped.
Is the first Hunger Games still worth rewatching?
Yes. Gary Ross’s 2012 film is rougher, with shaky handheld camera work that some viewers hate. But it has the rawest version of the Games and Jennifer Lawrence’s breakout performance. It’s the one to show anyone who has never seen the series.
Where does The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes fit?
The 2023 prequel tells the origin of a young Coriolanus Snow during the 10th Games. It’s long and changes tone sharply in its last act, but Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray and the early Games are excellent. It proved the series could work without Katniss, which is why Sunrise on the Reaping exists.
Why are the Mockingjay films lower?
Splitting the final book into two films left Part 1 with too little story. It has strong moments, including “The Hanging Tree” and Julianne Moore’s President Coin, but most of it is set-up.
Part 2 is better, with a tense trip through a booby-trapped Capitol and a brave, bleak ending. But without an arena, it loses some of what made the series special. It’s also, surprisingly, the lowest-grossing of the four Katniss films.
What do we know about Sunrise on the Reaping?
It adapts Suzanne Collins’s 2025 novel about Haymitch’s Games. Francis Lawrence directs from a script by Billy Ray and Michael Lesslie. Joseph Zada plays young Haymitch, with Elle Fanning as a young Effie Trinket, plus Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons and Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, according to Wikipedia and IMDb. It runs about 158 minutes.
First reactions after the London premiere on October 28 were strongly positive, with some calling it close to a perfect Hunger Games film, according to IBTimes and Screen Rant. Early reactions are always kind, so we’ll wait for full reviews.
Pylcrow’s take: the series is best when it’s about the Games
Look at our ranking and a pattern jumps out. The films with an arena are the best ones. The films without one struggle. That’s great news for Sunrise on the Reaping, which puts a Quarter Quell at the centre and has Catching Fire’s director behind the camera.
If it captures the cruelty and the strategy of Catching Fire, it has every chance of going straight to the top of this list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Hunger Games movie?
Catching Fire (2013) is our pick, and it has the series’ highest Rotten Tomatoes score and box office.
When does Sunrise on the Reaping come out?
It opens in US cinemas on November 20, 2026.
Do I need to watch the other Hunger Games movies first?
No, it’s a prequel that works alone. But Catching Fire helps, because it explains the Quarter Quell and shows the older Haymitch.
Who plays young Haymitch?
Joseph Zada plays Haymitch Abernathy in Sunrise on the Reaping.
What is the Pylcrow Arena Test?
It’s our four-part film score: the story, the Games themselves, what it says about power, and how well it rewatches.
What should you read next?
More on the big releases: our Avengers: Doomsday Doctor Doom theory, why to watch Godzilla Minus One first and the ending of Dark, explained. Browse everything in TV & Film.
Sources: Rotten Tomatoes; Slashfilm; Wikipedia; IMDb; IBTimes; Screen Rant. Arena Test scores are Pylcrow’s opinion.
