The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens in theaters and IMAX on Friday, November 20, 2026. The Lionsgate prequel stars Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch Abernathy and adapts Suzanne Collins's 2025 bestseller about the 50th Hunger Games.
Francis Lawrence directs, and the cast includes Ralph Fiennes as President Snow and Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket.
Sunrise on the Reaping at a glance
| Release date | Friday, November 20, 2026 |
| Formats | Theaters and IMAX |
| Studio | Lionsgate |
| Director | Francis Lawrence |
| Based on | Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (2025) |
| Set | 24 years before The Hunger Games |
| Composer | James Newton Howard |
When does Sunrise on the Reaping come out?
November 20, 2026, in regular theaters and IMAX. Lionsgate released the first teaser exactly one year earlier, on November 20, 2025. Major chains including AMC, Cinemark and Fandango list the film, and AMC has an early-access screening listing.
It lands two weeks after Godzilla Minus Zero and four weeks before Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday.
Who is in the Sunrise on the Reaping cast?
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Joseph Zada | Haymitch Abernathy |
| Whitney Peak | Lenore Dove Baird |
| Ralph Fiennes | President Coriolanus Snow |
| Elle Fanning | Effie Trinket |
| Jesse Plemons | Plutarch Heavensbee |
| Kieran Culkin | Caesar Flickerman |
| Maya Hawke | Wiress |
| Mckenna Grace | Maysilee Donner |
| Kelvin Harrison Jr. | Beetee Latier |
| Lili Taylor | Mags Flanagan |
| Ben Wang | Wyatt Callow |
| Glenn Close | Drusilla Sickle |
| Billy Porter | Magno Stift |
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are also reported to return as Katniss and Peeta, a surprise for a story set decades before they were born.
What is Sunrise on the Reaping about?
The film follows 16-year-old Haymitch in the Second Quarter Quell, the 50th Hunger Games, when the Capitol doubles the number of tributes to two boys and two girls from every district. Fans of the books know Haymitch as Katniss's drunken mentor. This is the story of how he won, and what it cost him.
Is there a Sunrise on the Reaping trailer?
Yes. Lionsgate has released:
- A teaser on November 20, 2025
- A full trailer in spring 2026, set to a remix of The Who's 1973 song "Love, Reign o'er Me"
- A "Meet Haymitch" featurette on July 4, 2026
Who is directing Sunrise on the Reaping?
Francis Lawrence, who has directed every Hunger Games film since Catching Fire. He is also lined up for Paramount's planned Red Rising adaptation. See our Red Rising movie explainer.
For the rest of the holiday calendar, see the biggest movies coming out in November and December 2026.
