The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Summary

The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeshad a disappointing possible action weekend at the box office , and this could amount down to a number of factors . Despite the high projections for theHunger Gamesprequel moving picture , there seems to be something about Coriolanus Snow ’s fib that has n’t been enough to disembowel audience to theaters . This is especially frustrative considering the overall success of the originalHunger Gamesmoviesand years of fans hoping for an on - screen return to Panem . Unfortunately , Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeshasn’t suffice this call .

Of course , there ’s always a chanceBallad of Songbirds and Snakeswill bend thing around at the box office . However , on its opening weekend , the plastic film only managed $ 98 million worldwide ( viaBox Office Mojo ) . This is peculiarly relate since the domesticated box office is at $ 44 million . regard the firstThe Hunger Gamesmovie brought in $ 152 million globally in its opening weekend , and evenMockingjay - Part 2 , the original film enfranchisement ’s lowest - gross film , make do $ 102 million its first weekend , this is a significant disappointment . Though it ’s challenging to figure out exactly why these number come in down than expected , there could be a few feasible reasons .

The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explores the world of Panem before Katniss Everdeen but will there be a sequel to the prequel ?

The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Poster

10Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Had The Hunger Games' Worst Reviews

The Hunger Games Prequel Failed To Impress Critics Before Its Release

Things had begun to fall asunder forThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesbefore its official theatrical release . Critic reviews began streaming in the days before , and they revealedmixed opinions about theHunger Gamesprequel film . The critic score onRotten Tomatoesisonly 62 percentage , significantly lower than the other films within the franchise ( which range between 70 and 90 pct ) . The audience score forBallad of Songbirds and Snakesis 91 percent , but it ’s possible that the reviews from critic deterred those who were on the fencing about the prequel from heading to the theatre .

Fans and critics are extremely divided on the latest plus to The Hunger Games franchise , The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes . Why is that ?

9Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Had Limited Press Due To Strikes

The SAG-AFTRA Strike Meant Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Actors Couldn’t Promote The Film

A significant part of an doer ’s use leading up to the movie ’s release is publicity , and the cast ofThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeswas barred from action this tariff until in brief before the plastic film was let go of . The SAG - AFTRA work stoppage , which started in July 2023 , meant that those like Rachel Zegler and Tom Blythe could not come out on talk shows to bolster audiences for their new film untilthe strike ended on November 9th . This have in mind there was minimum time to get those not already followingBallad of Songbirds and Snakesthrough production interested enough to make it to opening weekend .

8Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Box Office Is The Lowest In The Franchise

The Hunger Games Prequel Continued The Downward Box Office Trend

As a whole , theHunger Gamesmovies were massively successful . However , the boxwood post numbers game for the four films starring Jennifer Lawrence were on a steady decline . As far as opening weekend go , the first movie made $ 158 million globally . The Hunger Games : Catching Firefollowed this up with $ 153 million , butThe Hunger Games : Mockingjay - Part 1andThe Hunger Games : Mockingjay - Part 2only made $ 122 million and $ 102 million on their first weekends , severally . When reckon this , The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'$98 million opening weekend aligns with this down trenddespite the predictions for a exultant return .

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes continue the Hunger Games franchise storey . Is it expect to do well at the box agency ? We break down the numbers .

7Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Lacked The Franchise’s Action

The Hunger Games Prequel Was Less About The Games Themselves

The Hunger Gamesestablished audience ' expectations for Panem ’s brute result , butThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesthrew all this out the window . While Katniss ' narrative was all about her experience as a tribute in a high - tech futuristic world , the prequel moviecentered more on Corio ’s experience as a Capitol citizen and Hunger Games mentor . Additionally , being set 64 years beforeThe Hunger Gamesand so before long after the withering warfare , the domain catch in Lucy Gray ’s games is nowhere near as sophisticated as what audiences were used to . Therefore , the simple , less activeness - packed version of the games may have fall level in comparison .

6The Hunger Games Franchise Ended Too Long Ago

Mockingjay - Part 2 Released 8 Years Before Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games : Mockingjay - Part 2was released eight years beforeThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeshit theatre , and this may have been just too long for the prequel film to garner the desire amount of involvement . Returning to such a monolithic franchise requires a finespun residual of relevance and nostalgia , and theHunger Gamesprequel may have missed the mark for both . It has been too long for pursuit in Katniss ' story to have remained high , but perhaps not quite recollective enough for a potent sentiency of nostalgia . Of course , portend this Goldilocks period is n’t an accurate skill , butBallad of Songbirds and Snakes’low number show something go wrong in this regard .

The Hunger Games Prequel’s Box Office Numbers Reflect The Book’s Original Sales

Like theHunger Gamesmovies , Suzanne Collins ' Word of God trilogy was massively popular . The Hunger Gamessold around 28 million copies , Catching Firesold 19 million copy , andMockingjaysaw around $ 18 million . TheBallad of Songbirds and Snakesbook had a massive debut , with 500 thousand copies trade , but a few year later on , there are only about 3.5 million copies of the prequel in mark . This indicates a similarly lower interest in this story than that of Katniss ' which might describe for the humble theatrical widening .

4Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Villain Focus Changed The Target Audience

Snow’s Story No Longer Caters To The Same Target Audience

As a untested grownup series stick to a teenage heroine , The Hunger Games’target hearing is young adult women . Of naturally , the dealership has pull the attention of a far more divers demographic , but a objective audience is important when read how a book or film will do . center ona male person murderer like Coriolanus Snow , The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesshifted this focal point importantly , and this might have meant a departure of sake from those who would have primitively been draw toThe Hunger Games . This could also mean that those whom the prequel might have appeal to dismiss the film , thinking it would be more like the original trilogy .

3The Mockingjay Movies Had A Negative Impact On The Hunger Games Brand

Mockingjay - Part 2’s Failures May Have Tainted Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

Word of God - to - projection screen adaptations are difficult for Hollywood to get correct , but theHunger Gamesmovies managed to persist relatively true to the source . To continue this , theMockingjaybook was rive into two function , which had become stock practice for enfranchisement enders by 2015 . However , this decision put the film ’s film director in hot water since it was perceived as an effort to drag out the franchise ’s financial achiever . Unfortuantely , finishing things off this manner meanta lingering bad taste in fans ' mouths regardingThe Hunger Games , which means a possible loss of interest in returning forBallad of Songbirds and Snakes .

2Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Long Runtime May Have Been A Problem

The Prequel Was Longer Than Any Of The Other Hunger Games Movies

The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeshad arather long runtime at 2 hour and 38 minutes . This is about as long as the individualLord of the Ringsmovies and far shorter than notoriously extended picture likeAvatar . to boot , it ’s only a little more than ten minutes longer than the firstHunger Gamesmovie , so it ’s well-heeled to see why Lionsgate did n’t think this would be an issue . However , Katniss ' films spend a stack more time in the action of the arena , whereasBallad of Songbirds and Snakescenters on Snow ’s interior conflict . The flick managed to bea faithful adjustment of theBallad of Songbirds and Snakesbook , but it may have been a lot for many to sit through .

1Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Isn’t The Hunger Games Prequel Audiences Wanted

Hunger Games Fans Hoped For Haymitch Or Finnick Prequels

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeswas an intelligent extension of theHunger Gamesstory , allow for a foundation for the games and retroactively changing how Snow and Katniss ' rivalry is perceived . However , it was a prequel that no one involve for . In the days following the conclusion ofThe Hunger Gamesbooks and movies , fans have grown even more curious about the games thatcharacters like Haymitch and Finnickparticipated in and have been begging to see these effect play out on filmdom . Though these stories would n’t sum up much to the foundational themes ofThe Hunger Games , they might have drawn more interest at theater thanThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes .

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A composite image of characters from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Lucy Gray Baird looking shocked in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes next to Katniss Everdeen sitting on a throne in her red Mockingjay suit from The Hunger Games

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Lucy Gray Baird looking worried and Coriolanus Snow turning his head around in The Hunger Games the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

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Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Hunger Games Arena

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen next to the poster for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth as Lucy Baird and Coriolanus Snow in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes above a green background of the book’s cover

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Tom Blyth as Snow holding Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray’s face in The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes