The phenomenal global IP "The Hunger Games," produced by Lionsgate, imported by China Film Group Corporation, and distributed and translated by China Film Industry Group Co., Ltd., has officially announced its release in mainland China with the new film "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping." The studio also released the "Only One Can Survive" poster and the "Countdown to Slaughter" trailer. Directed by series director Francis Lawrence, the story is set 24 years before the original "Hunger Games" trilogy, focusing on the Second Quarter Quell—the 50th Hunger Games. It reveals the past of Katniss's mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, showing his transformation through the arena battles. The film will be released in North America on November 20 and will soon meet domestic audiences.
The Series' Cruelest Showdown: 48 Fight to the Death, Only 1 Survives
The phenomenal IP "The Hunger Games" film series has surpassed $3.3 billion in global box office revenue. The new film, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," returns to the series' iconic arena battle setting, focusing on the cruelest Hunger Games in the series' history—the Second Quarter Quell. The stakes are raised, the number of participants is doubled, and the life-and-death confrontations in the arena are fully upgraded. The simultaneously released "Countdown to Slaughter" trailer lifts the veil on the "cruelest Quarter Quell," where 48 tributes enter the arena to fight, with only one able to walk out alive. Young Haymitch from District 12 (played by Joseph Zada) is unexpectedly chosen as a tribute, forced to separate from his family and lover, and steps into this purgatory-level survival game alongside other tributes from his district.
The trailer also reveals the true face of this year's arena: a valley with vibrant and eerie colors that serves as a cage for tributes to hunt each other. The more beautiful the scenery, the denser the killing intent. As the countdown ticks and alarms sound, the desperate hunt officially begins, confirming the theme of "beautiful yet deadly." Haymitch will face life-and-death tests beyond imagination, seeking a glimmer of hope in desperation. Upon its release, many fans expressed nostalgia for the return to the authentic battle royale roots of the work and were shocked by the suffocating atmosphere presented in the new style, sparking infinite anticipation.
Global Top IP Makes a Grand Return, Unveiling Haymitch's FateOrigin
"The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" is adapted from the novel of the same name by original author Suzanne Collins, released in 2025. The novel sold 1.5 million copies globally in its first week and received praise from foreign media such as The New York Times and USA Today. As Katniss's mentor in the original series, Haymitch's past has always been one of the biggest mysteries. This film not only completes the prequel for this popular character, depicting how the 16-year-old he became the sole survivor in a Quell far more brutal than the original series, planting the seeds for his future role in passing on the "spark of revolution"; it also fills in the most important missing piece of the "Hunger Games" universe storyline.
In the newly released "Only One Can Survive" poster, the atmosphere of "beauty hiding deadly danger" is maximized. The Cornucopia in the center of the image resembles a crown left in the human world, majestic yet exuding a fatal sense of oppression. Forty-eight tributes stand on circular launch pads, with colorful flower ribbons at their feet resembling a grand sacrificial ceremony—the ribbons are signposts to death, and the launch pads resemble tombstones embedded in the grass. Not a drop of blood is visible in the poster, yet it pushes the suffocating feeling of "only one can survive" to the extreme. How will Haymitch fight his way out? An epic battle is about to hit the big screen.
"The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" is produced by Lionsgate, imported by China Film Group Corporation, and distributed and translated by China Film Industry Group Co., Ltd. Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film stars Joseph Zada, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. It will be released in North America on November 20 and has been confirmed for introduction to China, arriving in cinemas nationwide soon. Stay tuned.