The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

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2:45

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

PG-13

2023

2h 37m

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

243 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Verified Ratings

Experience the story of THE HUNGER GAMES -- 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray's charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

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Critics Consensus

An outstanding cast and exciting story help make The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes a worthy return to Panem in spite of a rushed and somewhat frustrating ending.

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Audience Says

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes does a great job of adapting the book, adding depth to a central character while giving fans a look at how it all started.

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Elizabeth Weitzman

Time Out

12/01/2023

3/5

The action scenes remain well-shot and tightly edited, and even without the provocative political energy of the Katniss years, the cultural parallels between Panem’s world and ours retain their unsettling power.

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Valerie Complex

Deadline Hollywood Daily

12/01/2023

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is a film of contrasts — visually stunning yet narratively uneven, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the origins of Panem, but not without stumbling over its own ambitious intentions.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

11/29/2023

I do not buy it philosophically for one second.

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Kyle Amato

Boston Hassle

Jul 31

Songbirds & Snakes deserves to do well, a brutal surprise for a complacent audience.

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Alfred Castaneda

Shade Studios

Jul 30

The film is broken out into three chapters, even if the first chapter feels like there were three crammed into it. There’s a bit too much going on.

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Marta Medina

mundoCine

Jul 28

3.5/5

An entertaining prequel that won’t disappoint fans of the saga, especially those left hungry for more. Its pace could be considered somewhat uneven, though. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Ron

Apr 27

great acting, great story, loved snow, Rachel Ziegler was annoying

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Evelyn M

Mar 3

The Hunger Games is a pretty good franchise. I enjoyed watching the movie because it shows how much the author was into war. I hope it will show more districts what they have been through. The disaster in every district is wars about food. I enjoyed how it's the first Hunger Games that was viewed. And I hate how there's a cliffhanger. We are still not sure what happened to Lucy Gary.

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JQVIXEN68

Jan 16

Fabulous movie and well acted. It goes well with the series.

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Helena J

Dec 26

honestly really enjoyed this movie? i had never read the book(s?) so everything was a fun surprise!! some of the dialogue felt a little too on-the-nose but i really didn't mind the pacing and the length and personally i would have been upset if this was split into two or three movies. although i will admit that in act III i was so distracted because he looks so much like eminem i actually could not focus i kept wanting to laugh. BUT OVERALL VERY GOOD I ENJOYED IT A LOT

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Joe

Dec 11

Wow great movie was worried about a prequel taking away from the nostalgia of what is known as the hunger games but to me this movie delivered

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Jurysia

Dec 7

GREAT! Made me go rewatch the whole series!

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Francis Lawrence

Director

Tom Blyth

Coriolanus Snow

Rachel Zegler

Lucy Gray Baird

Peter Dinklage

Casca Highbottom

Jason Schwartzman

Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman

Hunter Schafer

Tigris Snow

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Movie Clip - Run (Extended)

1:27

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Exclusive Movie Clip - Run

0:48

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Movie Clip - Tigris's Advice

0:51

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Movie Clip - Lucy Gray Baird

0:56

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Movie Clip - A Brand New Role

1:15

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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Best Songs

8:58

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Exclusive Bonus Featurette - Make It Entertaining

1:30

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Exclusive Featurette - Lucky Flickerman

2:32

'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' Cast Talk On-Screen Romance, Stunts, & More

23:56

Asking Strangers If They Would Survive The Hunger Games

5:24

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Spot - Together

1:00

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Featurette - Music

3:43

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Featurette - Welcome Back to Panem

1:00

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Trailer 2

2:45

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Trailer 1

2:48

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Synopsis

Experience the story of THE HUNGER GAMES -- 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray's charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

Director: Francis Lawrence
Producer: Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Francis Lawrence
Screenwriter: Michael Arndt, Michael Lesslie
Distributor: Lionsgate
Production Co: Lionsgate Films, Good Universe, Color Force
Rating: PG-13 (Strong Violent Content|Disturbing Material)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 17, 2023, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $166.3M
Runtime: 2h 37m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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