The whistle. The Mockingjay. The arena.
Few film franchises have created a world as instantly recognisable as The Hunger Games. Now, after five films and more than a decade of rebellion, survival and political intrigue, audiences are heading back to Panem for a story that takes us to the moment Haymitch Abernathy became the man fans would eventually know.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives in South African cinemas on 20 November 2026, bringing Suzanne Collins' 2025 novel to the big screen.
Watch the official trailer of the sixth instalment now.
Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, beginning on the morning of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
This time, the Capitol has changed the rules. Instead of selecting two tributes from each district, the Quarter Quell demands twice as many. Four young people from every district are sent into the arena, immediately raising the stakes of an already brutal spectacle.
At the centre of it all is a young Haymitch Abernathy, still living in District 12 and trying to hold onto the people and future he cares about.When his name is drawn, that future disappears.
The arena that follows will ultimately shape the Haymitch audiences remember decades later: sharp, cynical and carrying the scars of surviving the Games.
Joseph Zada takes on the role of young Haymitch Abernathy, giving audiences their first major look at the character before he became Katniss and Peeta's reluctant mentor.
Mckenna Grace plays Maysilee Donner, one of the District 12 tributes, while Whitney Peak plays Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch's girlfriend. The Capitol's familiar faces are getting their own younger interpretations. Elle Fanning plays Effie Trinket, Kieran Culkin plays Caesar Flickerman and Ralph Fiennes plays President Coriolanus Snow. Jesse Plemons also joins the cast as Plutarch Heavensbee, connecting the new story to characters audiences know from the original films.
And then there are two very familiar names.
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson return as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, respectively. Their appearances connect this new chapter directly to the legacy of the original Hunger Games films.
Francis Lawrence is back in the director's chair. Having directed Catching Fire, both parts of Mockingjay and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Lawrence is now returning to Panem for his fifth film in the franchise.
That continuity matters. Sunrise on the Reaping needs to feel familiar enough to belong in the same cinematic world while taking audiences somewhere they haven't been before.
The story's setting also gives the film a fascinating visual contrast: the controlled spectacle and opulence of the Capitol against the harsher reality of District 12 and the terrifying unpredictability of the arena.
At its heart, Sunrise on the Reaping is a story about how power uses fear and spectacle to control people. Haymitch isn't entering the Games because he dreams of becoming a hero. He's a young man who wants to survive and protect the life he has built in District 12.
But the Capitol has designed the 50th Games to be especially brutal. As Haymitch enters the arena alongside three other District 12 tributes, he begins to understand that surviving may require more than physical strength. For fans of the original films, that makes the story particularly compelling. We already know the man Haymitch becomes. Now we get to see what made him.
The scale of Panem, the tension of the arena and the emotional weight of Haymitch's story deserve more than a quick watch on a small screen. The latest film also continues the franchise's tradition of combining spectacle with a story that has plenty to say about power, propaganda and survival.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives in South Africa on 20 November 2026.
Visit the Ster-Kinekor movie page for the latest release and booking information, then use the Ster-Kinekor cinema locator to find your nearest theatre.
What is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping about?
The film follows a young Haymitch Abernathy as he is selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, 24 years before Katniss Everdeen's story.
Who plays Haymitch in the new Hunger Games movie?
Joseph Zada plays the young Haymitch Abernathy.
Are Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson returning?
Yes. Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson returns as Peeta Mellark.
Who plays Effie Trinket and Caesar Flickerman?
Elle Fanning plays Effie Trinket, while Kieran Culkin plays Caesar Flickerman.
How many Hunger Games movies are there now?
Sunrise on the Reaping will be the sixth Hunger Games film, following the four original films and 2023's The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
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