Hunger Games release date at last: Sunrise on the Reaping is coming
Hunger Games fans just got the date they were waiting for. Suzanne Collins will publish the new prequel novel “Sunrise on the Reaping” known in French as “Lever de soleil sur la moisson” on March 18, 2025, according to publisher Scholastic. The story is set 24 years before the original trilogy during the 50th Hunger Games, the infamous Second Quarter Quell connected to mentor Haymitch Abernathy.
The screen is not far behind. Lionsgate announced a feature adaptation with a theatrical release planned for November 20, 2026, reported by trade outlets including Variety and Deadline. The studio is returning to a date that has worked for the franchise in the past, positioning Panem for a holiday season launch.
Sunrise on the Reaping date de sortie and what the book covers
The core fact is simple. The book arrives on March 18, 2025, with an English language first printing of 2.5 million copies in the United States, as cited by the Associated Press from Scholastic’s announcement on May 6, 2024. Preorders opened the same day.
Context matters. This prequel lands on the Second Quarter Quell, the 50th Games, a pivotal event that reshaped District 12’s fate and Panem’s politics. For readers curious about Haymitch’s victory and the Capitol’s rules during special Quells, this is the chapter that finally opens that door.
The brand remains massive. Scholastic has long reported more than 100 million Hunger Games books sold worldwide. That scale explains the accelerated rollout, with international editions programmed to publish in step with the English date.
Movie adaptation release date and what to expect in theaters
Lionsgate dated the film for November 20, 2026, placing Sunrise on the Reaping squarely in the pre Thanksgiving corridor that powered earlier hits. The previous prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, released in 2023, grossed about 337 million dollars worldwide according to Box Office Mojo, a clear signal that audience appetite is still there.
The studio confirmed development shortly after the book reveal, aligning the film timeline roughly 20 months after publication. That pattern mirrors the franchise playbook used across earlier entries, from production ramp to global rollout, with casting and on location schedules typically announced a few months before cameras roll.
For those tracking momentum, producers from the earlier films were reported to return, with trade coverage noting the familiar creative spine that guided Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Precise casting, director confirmation and score details will arrive later in the cycle through official press notes.
Why this chapter matters for Panem and for fans counting the days
There is a simple observation at the heart of the buzz. The Second Quarter Quell is not a side quest, it is the turning point that shaped Katniss Everdeen’s world two decades later. The new book explores a reaping that rewrote the rules of survival, and the Capitol’s televised grip on grief and spectacle.
A common mistake is to think a prequel cannot surprise readers who know the outcome. In Panem, the power sits in the how. The Games’ design, the sponsors, the alliances, the political broadcast, every small decision becomes the hinge for later rebellions. That is where tension lives. The franchise’s box office at nearly 3.3 billion dollars worldwide, per industry tallies, suggests audiences stay for that machinery of cause and effect, not just the ending they remember.
So here is the practical timeline. March 18, 2025 for the book, with a large first print run that signals robust availability on day one. November 20, 2026 for the movie, a date chosen to meet global demand with premium screens and school holidays. Expect cover teases, excerpt drops, and then casting reveals to bridge the wait. It is definetely the kind of coordinated cadence that keeps Panem in the conversation without overexposing the surprise.