Sunrise on the Reaping First Reactions: 10 Things to Know as Critics Call It the Best Hunger Games Yet

By the Filmoria News Desk

Official poster © Lionsgate, via the studio’s publicity materials.

The first reactions to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping landed after a UK fan premiere in London on 28 October 2026, and they’re the best this franchise has ever had: several critics called it the strongest Hunger Games film yet, with Joseph Zada’s young Haymitch the most-praised performance. These are social media reactions, not full reviews, which haven’t been published. The film opens in UK cinemas, including IMAX, on Friday 20 November 2026.

This is a ranked list of the 10 most important things to know about the first reactions to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, from the critics’ verdicts and the standout performances to the London premiere, the UK rating and the box office tracking.

We ranked the items by how much they tell you about the finished film first (what critics actually said and about whom), then by what changes for UK cinemagoers (rating, runtime, dates), then by the commercial and release picture. Every quote is attributed to the named critic or outlet; where a figure comes from a single secondary source, we say so.

1. The “Best in the Franchise” Verdicts (First Reactions, 28 to 29 October 2026)

What makes it stand out: No Hunger Games film since Catching Fire in 2013 has drawn first reactions this unanimous, and several critics went further than calling it good.

Key data: The social media embargo lifted after the London screening on 28 October 2026, and Nikita Francois of The Nerds of Color called it “easily the best film in the Hunger Games franchise.”

Why it matters: The film reportedly cost far more than the last prequel, so word of mouth in the three weeks before release really counts.

First reactions are a marketing tool. Studios lift the social embargo when they’re confident, and critics typing on their phones after a premiere tend to be generous. So it’s fair to treat the wave that hit X and Threads on the night of 28 October with a bit of caution. Even so, what stood out wasn’t how positive the reactions were but how specific. People didn’t just say they’d had a great time. They compared it directly to the rest of the series and put it on top.

Francois’s line is the one most outlets ran with, and it’s a strong claim. Catching Fire has been the fan and critic favourite for over a decade. It holds the series’ best reviews and its biggest box office. For a prequel about a supporting character to be described as better than that, by more than one person, is a different kind of buzz from the usual “a worthy addition” language. That phrase did turn up, too. Popviewers’ roundup noted that some critics framed it more modestly and pointed to a familiar structure. That’s the honest picture: a run of rapturous responses with a few measured ones mixed in.

Parade and TechTimes both headlined their pieces with the “best one yet” framing. CinemaBlend, written by a reader of the novel, focused on how faithful it felt to Suzanne Collins’ book. That’s worth noting because Sunrise on the Reaping was the fastest-selling book in the series, so faithfulness isn’t a small thing for this audience. If you loved the book, the early signs are that the film doesn’t flinch from it.

2. Joseph Zada’s Haymitch Is the Breakout (Lead Role, Cast April 2025)

What makes it stand out: A young Australian actor with only a handful of credits is drawing the strongest praise in a cast full of Oscar nominees.

Key data: Zada was announced as Haymitch Abernathy on 23 April 2025, and Collider’s Perri Nemiroff called him one of the film’s biggest highlights, saying his performance repeatedly left her stunned.

Why it matters: Haymitch carries the whole film, and fans needed to believe he could become the man Woody Harrelson played.

Casting Haymitch was always the biggest risk. Harrelson’s version is one of the most loved parts of the original films: drunk, funny, wrecked and secretly decent. Zada doesn’t look much like him. What the reactions keep coming back to is that he doesn’t need to. IBTimes’ summary of Nemiroff’s response highlights how he balances Haymitch’s warmth and charm against the anger and grief the Games bring down on him. That’s the arc the book is built on, and it’s hard to play. You have to make a teenager likeable enough that his breaking hurts.

CinemaBlend’s headline went straight to it, calling Zada the standout performance for a book reader. Fiction Horizon reported that Nemiroff predicted this is only the start of his career, and his co-star Mckenna Grace has said much the same in a Variety Australia interview, where she tipped him to become a huge star.

There’s a pattern here. Jennifer Lawrence had a single Oscar nomination when she was cast as Katniss in 2011. Tom Blyth was barely known before he played young Snow in 2023. The franchise keeps handing its lead to someone the public hasn’t formed an opinion about, and keeps getting rewarded for it. If the reactions hold up in full reviews, Zada’s name will be on a lot of shortlists by Christmas.

3. Jesse Plemons and Kelvin Harrison Jr. Earn Their Own Raves (Supporting Cast)

Jesse Plemons plays Plutarch Heavensbee. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

What makes it stand out: Two actors stepping into roles made famous by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jeffrey Wright were both named as highlights.

Key data: Nemiroff wrote that “Kelvin Harrison Jr. is too good following in Jeffrey Wright’s footsteps, and Jesse Plemons makes the complexity of Plutarch’s situation a standout,” as quoted by Looper.

Why it matters: Plutarch and Beetee are the characters who connect this prequel most directly to the rebellion in Mockingjay.

Plemons was always a smart bet for Plutarch. Hoffman played the Gamemaker as a quiet, amused operator, and most of what made him memorable was what he didn’t say. Plemons has built a career on exactly that sort of watchful stillness, from Breaking Bad to Killers of the Flower Moon. The trailer’s slow-clap moment, with Plutarch watching Haymitch insult Snow on live television, hinted at a man taking notes for later. The reactions suggest the film leans into that complexity rather than playing him as a background figure.

Harrison Jr.’s Beetee is a less obvious talking point, which makes the praise more interesting. In Catching Fire, Wright played Beetee as a brilliant older victor, half-broken by the Capitol. Here he’s a mentor 24 years younger, already inside the machine. Nemiroff’s “too good” is the sort of phrase people use when a supporting performance takes them by surprise.

Nemiroff’s wider verdict was that the film “rocks a ton of stunning craftsmanship, yet another phenomenal cast, and an exhilarating narrative.” That last word matters. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was criticised for feeling like three films stitched together over 157 minutes. “Exhilarating” isn’t how anyone described it.

4. Mckenna Grace’s Maysilee and Her Busy Press Week (District 12 Tribute)

Mckenna Grace plays Maysilee Donner. Photo: Kevin Paul, via Wikimedia Commons.

What makes it stand out: Grace was one of three actors named most often in the first reactions, and she’s become the most visible face of the press tour.

Key data: Variety published an interview on 2 November 2026 in which she discussed turning down roles involving nudity or hypersexualised content, alongside earlier Variety pieces about filming with Glenn Close and Joseph Zada.

Why it matters: Maysilee is Haymitch’s main ally in the arena and the first owner of the mockingjay pin, so her scenes carry extra weight for book readers.

Grace plays Maysilee Donner and her twin sister Merrilee. If you only know the films, the name might not ring a bell. In the books, Maysilee’s mockingjay pin passes through her family to Madge Undersee and eventually to Katniss, who wears it into her first Games. A symbol of a revolution starts with this girl, and the reactions suggest the film doesn’t waste her.

Off screen, she’s had a busy week. In one Variety interview she described being yelled at on set by Glenn Close and joked about Close’s towering heels. Reports also say she found the shoot physically and emotionally draining and reached out to Josh Hutcherson about his own experience on the franchise. Her 2 November Variety interview went further, with Grace saying she turns down roles that call for nudity or sexualised content. It’s not a film story as such, but it’s a sign of how central she is to Lionsgate’s campaign.

Glenn Close plays Drusilla Sickle. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Grace has more screen credits than anyone else in the young cast, from Ghostbusters: Afterlife to The Handmaid’s Tale. Of the four District 12 tributes, which also include Ben Wang and Molly McCann alongside Zada, she’s the one casual audiences are most likely to recognise. Her chemistry with Zada was a running thread in the trailers. The reactions back that up.

5. The Rogue One and Andor Comparisons (Franchise Context)

What makes it stand out: Critics reached for Star Wars, not other Hunger Games films, to explain what kind of prequel this is.

Key data: Variety’s first-reactions roundup reported that the film was being called the “Rogue One” of the franchise, and at least one critic compared it to Andor.

Why it matters: Both comparisons describe a darker, more political prequel whose ending fans already know, which is exactly the challenge this film faces.

Here’s a comparison we think is more useful than either. The two Hunger Games prequels are built on opposite engines. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes asked how a villain gets made. Sunrise on the Reaping asks how a survivor gets broken. Anyone who’s read Catching Fire knows Haymitch wins the Second Quarter Quell and that the Capitol punishes him for how he does it. The suspense isn’t who wins. It’s what winning costs.

That’s what Rogue One and Andor have in common, too. Both tell stories whose outcomes are fixed by the films that came after, and both found their strength in the people paying the price. Rogue One’s ending is the reason people still talk about it. Andor became the most acclaimed Star Wars series by treating rebellion as grinding, dangerous work rather than adventure. When critics reach for those two titles, they’re telling you this film has teeth.

There’s a caveat. One social post picked up by ComicBookMovie said the third act pulls the rug from under viewers but follows a familiar approach. Popviewers also flagged critics who found the structure familiar. A Hunger Games film still has a reaping, a training sequence, a parade, interviews and an arena. Nobody should expect that template to change. The praise is about what’s done inside it.

6. The London Fan Premiere: Who Was There and Who Wasn’t (28 October 2026)

Ralph Fiennes plays President Snow. Photo: Steve Disenhof, via Wikimedia Commons.

What makes it stand out: Lionsgate chose London, not Los Angeles, for the event that kicked off the reactions.

Key data: The UK fan screening took place on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at Westfield London, according to Getty picture captions and Just Jared, with Zada, Whitney Peak and Mckenna Grace leading the arrivals.

Why it matters: The UK has been one of this franchise’s strongest markets, and the choice of city reflects that.

Deadline’s red carpet gallery lists a heavy turnout: Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Whitney Peak, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin and director Francis Lawrence were all photographed. WWD reported Peak wore head-to-toe Chanel, and Tom + Lorenzo noted Zada in Tom Ford. It was a proper cast event, not a token appearance.

Two names were missing. Neither Jennifer Lawrence nor Josh Hutcherson attended, according to Cover Media’s report syndicated via Yahoo. That’s not surprising given their roles are expected to be brief, but fans had hoped to see the original Katniss and Peeta on a carpet with the new cast.

The London choice isn’t random. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes took $23.1 million in the UK, its biggest international market by a distance, according to The Numbers. Fiennes, Close and Culkin also bring an older audience that cares about awards-season names. Starting the conversation in London puts the film in front of the market most likely to reward it.

Elle Fanning plays a young Effie Trinket. Photo: Harald Krichel, via Wikimedia Commons.

7. Jennifer Lawrence Finally Talks About Katniss’s Return (Call Her Daddy, October 2026)

What makes it stand out: It’s the first time Lawrence herself has spoken publicly about coming back, almost a year after the casting was reported.

Key data: Gulf News reported that Lawrence confirmed her return on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast and talked about reuniting with Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson.

Why it matters: Katniss hasn’t appeared on screen since Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015, and her presence is a big draw for lapsed fans.

The return itself isn’t new. The InSneider and The Hollywood Reporter first said in December 2025 that Lawrence and Hutcherson would appear, after principal photography had already wrapped. What’s changed is that she’s now said it herself, in the same week the first reactions went live. The timing looks deliberate, whether or not it was.

Keep expectations in check. Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before Katniss volunteers for her sister, so neither she nor Peeta can be part of the main story. Every report describes the appearances as limited. The novel opens and closes in ways that would make a short framing scene natural, and that’s the most likely shape. Even so, the first reactions we found don’t mention the cameo at all, which suggests critics respected the spoiler and that the film doesn’t lean on it.

Harrelson’s name is the more intriguing one. He played the adult Haymitch across all four original films. Lionsgate hasn’t confirmed any role for him in this film, and we’d treat any talk of an appearance as unconfirmed until the studio or the film itself says otherwise.

8. The BBFC’s 12A and a Record Runtime (UK Rating)

What makes it stand out: It keeps the 12A every Hunger Games film has had in the UK, despite a book many readers call the series’ most brutal.

Key data: The BBFC’s 12A cites moderate violence, injury detail, threat and upsetting scenes, with a running time reported at 158 minutes 5 seconds, according to a Drawpie explainer citing the BBFC listing.

Why it matters: A 12A keeps the film open to the teenage audience that made the franchise, and the runtime affects how many shows a cinema can programme each day.

We couldn’t load the BBFC’s own page from our research setup, so we’re flagging that these details come from a secondary source. They do fit the pattern. The 2012 original was rated 12A for moderate violence and threat, and every film since has landed there.

The runtime is the bigger talking point. At about 158 minutes, it would edge past The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes at 157 minutes to become the longest film in the series. That’s a long sit for a 12A, and it means fewer screenings per screen each day. Earlier this autumn UK cinema guide Flicks listed it at 150 minutes, so the final cut appears to have grown.

For parents, the BBFC’s wording matters more than the letter. “Injury detail” and “upsetting scenes” are there for a reason. The Second Quarter Quell sends 48 children into the arena, not 24, and the novel doesn’t look away from what happens to most of them. If your child found Mockingjay Part 1 hard going, check the BBFC’s full content advice before booking.

9. Presales Compared With Wicked, and a Wide Tracking Range (US Box Office Outlook)

What makes it stand out: Early ticket sales in the US were compared to one of the biggest presale starts of 2024.

Key data: US tickets went on sale at 9am Eastern on 28 October 2026; tracker Global Box Office called the first hours “insane” and on par with the first Wicked, while Box Office Pro’s 23 October long-range forecast put the opening at $55 million to $65 million.

Why it matters: The reported budget of $170 million to $200 million means this film has to outperform the last prequel by a wide margin.

Two very different numbers are floating around, and it’s worth being clear about which is which. Box Office Pro’s $55 million to $65 million is a formal forecast, made before the reactions dropped. The bigger figures, some blogs have floated $100 million or more, come from presale chatter, not from a published model. Treat them as enthusiasm rather than tracking.

For context, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opened to $44.6 million in North America in November 2023 and finished with $347.9 million worldwide, according to The Numbers. Even the conservative forecast would beat that opening comfortably. The Wicked comparison is about speed of early sales, which is driven by the most dedicated fans, so it doesn’t tell you much about the final total.

We don’t have UK presale numbers. No distributor or data company has published them, and we won’t guess. What we do know is that the UK has backed this series harder than almost anywhere outside North America, and our weekly box office coverage will report the UK opening weekend once Comscore’s figures are out. If you want the background on budget, story and cast, our earlier guide to Sunrise on the Reaping covers it in depth.

10. What Happens Next: Reviews, Early Screenings and a Crowded December (Release Calendar)

Francis Lawrence. Photo: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons.

What makes it stand out: The film has about four clear weekends before December’s two giant releases take over premium screens.

Key data: US early-access screenings start on 18 November, regular US shows from Thursday 19 November, and the UK release is Friday 20 November 2026; no full review embargo date has been announced.

Why it matters: The jump from glowing first reactions to the full critical verdict is where franchise films often wobble.

Full reviews are the next test. Lionsgate hasn’t announced an embargo date, and Common Sense Media has said its own review will go up on release day. Studios tend to lift review embargoes early when they’re confident, so if reviews arrive a week or more before 20 November, read that as a good sign. If they land the night before, read it the other way.

There’s a reason to keep expectations sensible. First reactions skew positive. Critics at a premiere have just watched a film with the cast in the room, and nobody tweets a lukewarm take at midnight. Plenty of franchise films have seen their full reviews come in cooler than the premiere-night buzz. That doesn’t mean Sunrise on the Reaping will, but it’s why we’re calling these reactions, not a verdict.

Then there’s December. Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three both arrive on 18 December, and both will want every IMAX screen in the country. That gives Sunrise on the Reaping roughly four weekends to make most of its money. Rotten Tomatoes’ editorial team put it among November’s most anticipated films. If the word of mouth matches the first reactions, it won’t need longer than that. For everything else coming to cinemas this season, see our Upcoming Movies roundup.

The Bottom Line on the First Reactions

Glowing first reactions are common. Glowing first reactions that put a prequel above Catching Fire, single out an unknown lead and reach for Andor as a comparison are not. The early word on Sunrise on the Reaping is the best the franchise has had, and almost all of it centres on Joseph Zada. The real verdict comes with full reviews, probably in the next fortnight. Until then, the safest bet is to book early for the 20 November opening weekend, especially if you want IMAX.

Sources: Deadline red carpet gallery; Looper critic reactions roundup; /Film first reactions; CinemaBlend first reactions; Gulf News on Jennifer Lawrence; The Numbers franchise box office.

Last updated: 3 November 2026.

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