If you’re a Hunger Games fan, it’s time to rejoice – we’re getting another dive into the dystopian world of Panem, created by Suzanne Collins, in the shape of Sunrise on the Reaping. Interestingly, we know not only the book release date, but the movie release date too.
Sunrise on the Reaping will be set 40 years after the events of the last title, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, during the Second Quarter Quell (otherwise known as the 50th anniversary of the first Hunger Games). We already know that Haymitch Abernathy won the 50th Hunger Games, so the book will likely focus on him and his experience during the years’ games.
On June 6, it was revealed that the Sunrise on the Reaping book is set to release on March 18, 2025 and with all of the previous books receiving epic movie adaptations, it will come as no surprise that the fifth instalment will also be getting one too. Also on June 6, Lionsgate revealed that Sunrise on the Reaping already has a release date, coming 18 months later than the book on November 20, 2026, around the same time of year that all of the movies were released aside from the first.
It’s unusual for a book and its movie adaptation to be announced simultaneously, but it should come as no surprise given the huge box office success of the previous movies:
| Movie | Release date | Box office earnings |
| The Hunger Games | March 23, 2012 | $695.2 billion USD |
| The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | November 22, 2013 | $865 billion USD |
| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | November 21, 2014 | $755.4 billion USD |
| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | November 20, 2015 | $661.4 billion USD |
| The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | November 17, 2023 | $337.4 billion USD |
Thanks to the popularity of Haymitch during the original trilogy, where he became Katniss Everdean’s mentor during the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, it’s likely that Sunrise on the Reaping will outshine The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, providing the focus is actually on his character’s hardships as expected.
While we know that Francis Lawrence will be returning as Director for Sunrise on the Reaping, no casting choices have been made for the movie as of yet. It’s also worth noting that with such a long time to go before the currently expected release date, there may be some changes to this originally planned date.
