Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Early Access Screenings Start Nov. 18

Theater chains in the United States and several other countries have opened ticket sales for early access screenings of "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" on November 18, 2026, ahead of the film's wide release two days later on November 20. Listings for the early showings appear on AMC's website and on independent cinema booking platforms such as Hooky Entertainment, according to pages for those screenings. Separately, the promotional site SeeItEarly listed a free pass for a single sneak-preview screening in St. Louis on Monday, November 16, 2026, two days earlier than the broader early access window.

What the early access screenings are

An early access screening lets ticket holders see a film before its official nationwide opening, typically at a premium or in a special format such as IMAX. For "Sunrise on the Reaping," the November 18 date falls on a Wednesday, two days ahead of the Friday wide release. A listing on Hooky Entertainment's booking page confirms the November 18, 2026 date and lists a runtime of two hours and 40 minutes. In Australia, the SunTheatre in Melbourne scheduled its own early screening for Wednesday, November 18 at 6:30 p.m., including a complimentary large soft drink with each ticket, according to the venue's event page.

Cast, director and plot

The film is directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed "Catching Fire," "Mockingjay – Part 1," "Mockingjay – Part 2" and "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." The screenplay is credited to Billy Ray and Michael Lesslie, based on Suzanne Collins' 2025 novel of the same name, according to the film's Wikipedia entry sourced to production materials.

The story is set 24 years before the original "Hunger Games" film and follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, as he is forced to compete in the 50th Hunger Games -- a Quarter Quell in which every district must send double the usual number of tributes.

• Joseph Zada as young Haymitch Abernathy
• Jesse Plemons as young Plutarch Heavensbee
• Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow
• Glenn Close as Capitol official Drusilla Sickle
• Elle Fanning as young Effie Trinket
• Kieran Culkin as young Caesar Flickerman

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, who played Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in the original trilogy, are expected to make cameo appearances reprising their roles, per the film's Wikipedia page citing production announcements.

Production and release timeline

Principal photography ran from July to late November 2025 in Spain, in the Somiedo and Teverga areas, and in Berlin, according to the film's Wikipedia entry. The production budget is listed at $170 million to $200 million. Composer James Newton Howard returns to compose the score, and the soundtrack is set for release on November 13, 2026, with lead single "Draw You Out" by Noah Kahan released October 2, 2026.

Box office expectations

Box office analysis site BoxOfficeTheory projected an opening weekend in the $60 million-plus range for "Sunrise on the Reaping," writing that the film is expected to capitalize on interest from Gen Z and Millennial audiences returning to the franchise. The site compared the outlook to 2023's "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which it said opened to $44 million domestically and reached $166.4 million in total box office, suggesting this entry could outperform that prequel. Box Office Mojo lists Lionsgate as the distributor and confirms the film carries a PG-13 rating with a runtime of 2 hours and 38 minutes -- two minutes shorter than the 2 hours and 40 minutes listed on Hooky Entertainment's booking page -- though as of this report no screening or preview revenue figures had been posted.

Background

"Sunrise on the Reaping" is the second prequel in the "Hunger Games" film series, following 2023's "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which was also based on a Suzanne Collins novel and depicted a young Coriolanus Snow. The new film returns to the franchise's original timeframe more directly, depicting the Quarter Quell that shaped Haymitch Abernathy before he later mentors Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in the original "Hunger Games" story.