Inside Look at Upcoming Film "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes", Set to Open at $50 Million
Prequel film delves into origins of Hunger Games saga, featuring Viola Davis, Tom Blyth, and Rachel Zegler with Francis Lawrence as director. Despite actor strikes impacting other films, Lionsgate stays the course for November 17 release date.
- The highly anticipated prequel film, 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes', takes the audience back 64 years before the events of the original films, diving into the origins of the dystopian world of Hunger Games and featuring characters such as a young Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, and Lucy Gray Baird, portrayed by Rachel Zegler.
- The story follows Snow as he mentors Baird, a tribute from District 12 during the 10th Hunger Games. Through their journey, we witness the early days of the tyrannical rule by Snow and the beginning of the oppressive Hunger games, legacy, and politics of Panem.
- The film also stars Oscar-winner Viola Davis as Volumnia Gaul, an architect of the 10th Hunger Games with a villainous streak, and Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, Dean of the Academy of Panem. Euphoria star Hunter Schafer makes her big screen debut as Tigris, Snow's cousin.
- Despite the ongoing actors' strike leading to other films moving their release dates, Lionsgate has maintained November 17 as the release date for the film, leveraging the competitive advantage in the marketplace. The film is projected to gross $50 million in its opening weekend, albeit the lowest in the franchise's history.
- In March 2023, a Netflix Rewatch Campaign was launched to rekindle interest in the original four films of the franchise. The campaign saw a 425% uptick in new followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for The Hunger Games, and a threefold increase in Hunger Games TikTok videos.
- Costume designs by Trish Summerville and references to iconic elements from the original series, such as Lucy Gray Baird's rainbow arena costume and Snow's signature rose, tie in the prequel with the established Hunger Games universe, while creating unique period settings and characters distinct to this prequel.
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