‘The Hunger Games' Intrigue: Studios, Streamers & Indies In The Mix To Buy ‘Sunrise On The Reaping' — The Dish

Yahoo

16-06-2025

EXCLUSIVE: Intrigue continues over the destination of Lionsgate's flagship IP, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping with studios, streamers and indie buyers in the mix to pay a lot of money for rights to the movie.
As we've reported, the latest installment in the popular franchise was the big-ticket movie at the recent Cannes market. Shooting this summer in Germany with a budget understood to be in the $150M range, the project has amassed an impressive cast including Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Joseph Zada, Kieran Culkin, Maya Hawke, Jesse Plemons, Ben Wang, Lili Taylor, Whitney Peak, McKenna Grace and Kelvin Harrison Jr.
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Despite some hefty asking prices, interest has been solid at a time when buyers are thirsty for tried and trusted IP. We understand Sony and Amazon are among the studios and streamers interested in taking the project — at the right price. Both are understood to be keen on all international rights in pacts that could end up shaking out in the $100M range. One of the sticking points might be whether Lionsgate is prepared to relinquish its direct distribution in the UK and one or two other markets as part of the deal. Talks continue.
Intriguingly, it has been suggested to us by market sources that there is interest from at least one suitor in worldwide rights to the movie. However, Lionsgate sources are adamant that's a non-starter and not something they would entertain even if there were an offer, which they didn't confirm.
Lionsgate is due to release the film in the U.S. late next year. It would be a major shock and seemingly not on the cards that they'd give up domestic rights to such a cornerstone IP. It wouldn't make strategic sense, even if the price were enormous. Lionsgate has gone down a similar route on other projects, however. The studio recently flipped its Henry Cavill Highlander reboot over to Amazon MGM for the world. A few years ago it sold most of the world, including U.S., to Amazon for Jennifer Lopez film Shotgun Wedding, and the same streamer will release Lionsgate-produced upcoming sequel Another Simple Favor domestically. Lionsgate recently sold all international rights to the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic to Universal.
There also were talks with studio buyers when The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was on sale four years ago. Ultimately, Lionsgate did what it tends to do on the franchise and sold the film to independent international buyers in individual territories. This may well be the route it takes this time. As we revealed in Cannes, some of the asks have been hefty. Multiple sources told us that the Germany ask ranged between $20M-32M, depending on other movies being included in a package deal. Plenty of buyers we spoke to balked at their territory asks. But we hear that others are prepared to pay. If Lynne Ramsay's arthouse drama Die My Love sold for $23M during Cannes, maybe those Lionsgate prices are more reasonable than first blush.
Lionsgate likes to package big movies with others on its slate. We've heard from market sources that in this instance Lionsgate has tried to entice buyers with packages of up to seven other movies in addition to the latest Hunger Games, some of those for multiple territories too. We gather package propositions have included John Wick spinoff Caine and Chris Pine action movie Run the Night.
As for Sony and Amazon, the former has stumped up for market movies including A Man Called Otto, The Materialists and A Big Bold Beautiful Journey in recent years. Buying all of international on the Hunger Games would be a bigger outlay than any of those. It likely would be up there with what the studio paid for most international rights to Blade Runner 2049.
Meanwhile, Amazon remains voracious. A month ago we reported that it stumped up more than $50M for The Beekeeper 2. Six weeks ago we told you that Scott Stuber's UA was making a splash with the Highlander reboot as that label continues to ramp up. Amazon also has its new international theatrical operation to think about next year, so something like The Hunger Games could be an exciting chess piece for that rollout if a deal made and the movie fit in with that plan.
There should be more clarity on the film's direction in the next week or two, we understand. A lot of the market is waiting for a resolution here because other project sales depend on it. If an indie buyer is saving a chunk of change to buy The Hunger Games but that falls through, it likely would reroute that money to other projects.
Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The protagonist of the novel is the young Haymitch Abernathy (portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the previous movies and by Zada in this one), the second male tribute from District 12 to enter the deadly arena.
The appetite for the books remains strong. The novel sold 1.5M copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand after it hit shelves in March. The 1.2M copies sold in its first week in the U.S. are twice the first-week sales of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and three times those of Mockingjay.
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