The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

Movie"Everyone hungers for something."
Audience Score
71
Review Score
75
Return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, with Lionsgate’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ #1 New York Times Bestseller The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Review

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes reinvents the franchise as a musical. The new Hunger Games prequel is surprisingly a musical, and while it features strong work from Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, it stumbles in the third act.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is an entertaining prequel that dives deeper into the past of Donald Sutherland’s Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow (no played by Tom Blyth) and the history of the games but is surprisingly a musical at its core. Blyth and co-star Rachel Zegler give impressive performances, but the movie suffers from too many storylines and frivolous characters, resulting in the third act falling apart.

Movie Details

Theatrical Release:November 17th, 2023 - Buy Tickets
On Digital & Streaming:December 19th, 2023 - Watch Now
On DVD & Blu-ray:February 13th, 2024 - Buy DVD
Movie Budget:$100,000,000
Movie Box Office Gross:$337,371,917 (Worldwide)
Original Language:English
Executive Producers:Suzanne Collins, Tim Palen, Jim Miller, Mika Saito
Production Companies:Lionsgate, Color Force, about:blank

The Hunger Games Collection

A science fiction film series based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The film series takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, featuring the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen.