TheSunrise on the Reapingmovie will face a difficult adaptation challenge. The newestHunger Gamesbook,written by Suzanne Collins, follows Haymitch Abernathy during the second Quarter Quell.The 50th Hunger Games comes with the sadistic twist of there being twice as many tributes, meaning that instead of two per district and 24 in total, four individuals are reaped in every district for a total of 48 tributes. While Haymitch is known to be the sole winner of these Games, the novel tells the full story of his victory and the extensive heartbreak that surrounds it.
ASunrise on the Reapingmoviehas also been greenlit, with the adaptation of the prequel scheduled to debut in theaters on August 15, 2025. Francis Lawrence, who has directedeveryHunger GamesmoviesinceCatching Fire, will direct the upcoming film. WhileSunrise on the Reapinghas the potential to be one of the dystopian franchise’s best movies yet, it will have a significant challenge that differs from the previous adaptations.
Sunrise On The Reaping Will Need To Be Rated R To Do The Book Justice
It Is The Hunger Games' Darkest Book Yet
As the darkest, most violent, and most brutalHunger Gamesbook yet,Sunrise on the Reapingneeds to receive an R rating in order to do the source material justice. One of themajorSunrise on the Reapingdeathsis a character being attacked by muttations that leave behind nothing but bones that have been picked clean after tearing the body apart. Another key death involves a character putting their face next to some poisonous flowers, which causes blood to pour out of their eyes, nose, and mouth as they die.
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The heightened brutality is integral to the story and to transforming Haymitch into the character that audiences know from the originalHunger Gamesbooks and movies. Change is always inevitable in book-to-screen adaptations. However, in order to makeSunrise on the Reapingreceive a PG-13 rating like all the franchise’s previous movies, the adaptation would have to make many changes that risk altering the source material beyond the point of recognition. The movie’s audience will largely be those who have already read the book, and it will be disappointing if the film strays too far from it.
An R Rating Could Lose Out On The Hunger Games’ YA Audience
The YA Audience Has Been Pivotal To The Hunger Games' Success
The Hunger Gamesbooks and movies largely became a popular culture phenomenon because of how enthusiastically the young adult audience responded to them. This is part of the reason whyall the movies have been rated PG-13, as an R rating would make the adaptations less accessible to the target audience. Sometimes this meant not showing the full extent of the bloodshed at the Cornucopia when the Games began, or leaving other horrors to happen offscreen.
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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
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The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
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If the decision is made to giveSunrise on the Reapingan R rating, though, the movie will be less accessible to the franchise’s key demographic. This would be a substantial risk to take, especially afterThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' box officewas the lowest in franchise history. From a financial standpoint, the goal is forSunrise on the Reapingto reach the franchise’s previous box office heights, which is a feat that may be more difficult to achieve with an R rating, especially without the young adult audience.
Gambling On An R Rating Is Worthwhile For Another Important Reason
The Key Demographic Has Shifted
While an R rating does come with inherent risk, such a gamble may pay off when considering thatThe Hunger Games' target audience has now changed. The young adults who grew up with the franchise and who have remained fans of it are now adults. Adults are now the primary audience who have kept the franchise alive with their enthusiastic responses toThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesand toSunrise on the Reaping. It is also the adults who are going to care the most about whether theSunrise on the Reapingmovie faithfully adapts the book.
It may make the most sense to give the movie an R rating, as it will not exclude the franchise’s current target audience.
As such, it may make the most sense to give the movie an R rating, as it will not exclude the franchise’s current target audience. In this scenario, the movie could still perform well at the box office while also beinga faithful adaptation that does not cheapen the tragic and brutal story of Haymitch and the second Quarter Quell. Now that the book has been released, more details about theSunrise on the Reapingmovie will continue to emerge, and that will hopefully include an R rating.
