The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, based on the novel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins, released on November 17, 2023. The book was published on May 19, 2020, almost 12 years after the release of the first Hunger Games novel.
The movie starred Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zeglar as Lucy Gray. The movie also featured Hunter Schafer, Viola Davis, and Peter Dinklage. Jacqueline Garcia, 12, was eager about the release of this movie. “I loved the casting,” Garcia said. “The characters and the adaptation felt just right.”
During its opening weekend, the movie made approximately $100.8 million. The movie’s soundtrack featured Olivia Rodrigo and the song she wrote for the movie. It also featured the songs Collins wrote in the book sung by Rachel Zeglar.
The movie was a prequel to the original Hunger Games Trilogy focusing on President Snow’s life and his time as a mentor. It revolved around the 10th Hunger Games where Coriolanus served as a mentor to Lucy Gray, the female tribute from District 12. Between Lucy’s performance abilities and Corionalus’s intelligence, the two teamed up to survive the games.
In the original Hunger Games trilogy, President Snow, or Coriolanus Snow, is the biggest antagonist. However, in this movie fans get to see his background and what led him to his presidency. David Arellano, 12, is a new fan to this series. “I think President Snow was a lot more fleshed out and human,” Arellano said, “I wouldn’t change a thing about this movie.”
The movie made references to characters that were introduced in the original trilogy, although this book is set 64 years before. With this movie, fans of the series started coming out with new theories and connections. The complexity of this dystopian world never fails to amaze fans.
The movie received high ratings from fans and audience members. Breeana Flores, 12, has been a fan of the franchise for years. “The movie exceeded my expectations,” Flores stated. “I would rank it number one of all The Hunger Games movies.”
