‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Drops a Moody New IMAX Clip Before Opening Night
A fresh clip from ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping‘ has surfaced as Panem’s latest return heads toward cinemas. The prequel follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, and Lionsgate is selling it as a premium-format event.
The story is set 24 years before the original film. It begins on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, and it adapts Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel of the same name.
The new 45-second preview carries IMAX branding and favors atmosphere over action. It shows a lone figure in a pale jacket standing before a dark tree line under a stormy-looking sky. The film opens in theaters on Nov. 20.
None of the sources reviewed identify the scene or the character on screen, so what the moment sets up is unconfirmed. For now, the clip works as a mood piece, and a deliberately restrained one for a story about a deadly competition.
New clip from ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING’. In theaters on November 20. https://t.co/PbYiMapoIN
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 11, 2026
The prequel is the first film in the franchise to be filmed for IMAX. According to IMAX, it features more than 45 minutes of footage shot in an expanded 1.90:1 aspect ratio.
Cinematographer Jo Willems told Entertainment Weekly that the arena sequences will use the full IMAX frame, with the picture opening up as the tributes rise into the arena. The team used IMAX-approved digital cameras with taller sensors rather than IMAX film cameras, and the arena footage was reportedly shot in Spain’s Cantabrian Mountains. The effect echoes the way the frame widened in ‘Catching Fire’.
Some fans are already worried about missing out. Coverage of the expanded footage notes that most of the wider scenes take place in the arena, so viewers without access to an IMAX screen will see a smaller slice of the picture.
The Second Quarter Quell doubles the usual number of tributes, with 48 children sent into the arena instead of 24. Joseph Zada plays Haymitch, with Whitney Peak as his girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird and Mckenna Grace as fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner.
The ensemble also includes Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Maya Hawke, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ralph Fiennes and Glenn Close. Francis Lawrence has directed every installment since ‘Catching Fire’, and Billy Ray wrote the screenplay.
The PG-13 film runs 158 minutes, the longest in the franchise. Premium-format early-access screenings are scheduled for Nov. 18, ahead of the nationwide opening.
The film premiered in London on Oct. 28, and the first social reactions were glowing. One early viewer called it the ‘Rogue One’ or ‘Andor’ of the franchise, while another critic called it the best film in the series. Joseph Zada’s performance as the younger Haymitch drew particular praise.
As always, those posts come with a caveat. Early reactions tend to run enthusiastic, and some of the first audience was reportedly made up of influencers alongside critics, so full reviews will give a clearer picture.
After tickets went on sale on Oct. 28, trackers at Global Box Office and Empire City Box Office said the film could open above $100 million, and Deadline reportedly described the presales as Lionsgate’s best since the pandemic. A long-range forecast from Boxoffice Pro, however, put the opening at $55 million to $65 million.
Witness the beginning of the revolution. #TheHungerGames: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters & IMAX November 20. https://t.co/fKCrWXIk3T
— The Hunger Games (@TheHungerGames) September 16, 2026
The $100 million mark would put the film in the territory of ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’, which opened to $103 million. It would also be a sharp rebound from ‘The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’, which debuted far below the original films’ levels. The first teaser also drew 109 million global views in 24 hours, the second-biggest trailer launch in Lionsgate’s history.
With the opening just over a week away, this clip is less a plot reveal than a reminder of how big the studio expects the event to be.
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