The stakes are higher than ever when it comes to novel Sunrise on the Reaping and the confirmed movie adaptation to follow will depict a teenage Haymitch Abernathy as he is chosen via lottery to participate in the 50th Hunger Games. Haymitch is, obviously, destined to win, even in the second Quarter Quell when the odds are worse than ever, with the Capitol demanding twice as many tributes.

This is the second Hunger Games prequel Suzanne Collins has delivered some time after the golden age of her saga has died down, the first being The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Like its most recent predecessor, Sunrise on the Reaping stands to explore different nuances of the tyrannical government and the lives of the people living under it in Panem, with some notable parallels between Haymitch and Katniss, the victor and revolutionary he will one day mentor. Yet drastically different circumstances for Sunrise on the Reaping mean even higher standards for its producers.

Hunger Games' Haymitch Prequel Has Higher Stakes Than The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

After Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, Lionsgate Will Be Hoping For A Bigger Success With Sunrise On The Reaping

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was the first book/movie outside the main Hunger Games series and is seemingly far more detached from the original narrative than Sunrise on the Reaping, following an 18-year-old, future President Coriolanus Snow amid the events of the 10th Games and his mentorship of the until-then unnamed first-ever District 12 victor, Lucy Gray Baird. The book notably did not lead to some major revival of the Hunger Games franchise. The movie, led by Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, was a box office hit, but nothing like the glory days of the Hunger Games, with mediocre reviews.

Sunrise on the Reaping arguably has greater potential to succeed, following a character who was much more popular among the Hunger Games fandom than President Snow. Fan-favorite characters who should have their own Hunger Games prequels have long been discussed, and this seems like The Hunger Games finally giving the fans what they want. However, this is also why there is much more to lose for Sunrise on the Reaping, with greater hopes for it to be game-changing — especially when fans more or less know everything that happens in the story.

The Haymitch Prequel Could End Up Deciding The Fate Of The Hunger Games Franchise

Lionsgate Will Be Less Inclined To Produce Finnick & Johanna's Movies If Sunrise On The Reaping Flops

Collins' return to writing Hunger Games stories was somewhat surprising, and she has been non-committal about her plans to write additional prequels following Sunrise on the Reaping. However, those who would love to see standalone installments focusing on Johanna, Finnick, Mags, and other characters may have to hinge their hopes on the success of Sunrise on the Reaping. Collins' vision for her story aside, Lionsgate's desire to keep producing these movies is dependent on the money it is bringing in when its potential to be a massive cultural phenomenon seems long past.

The Hunger Games seems to still have enough cultural goodwill to get enough people to come to the movie theaters to turn a profit, and the most likely fate for Sunrise on the Reaping is probably a box office result similar to Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. But, it could also completely flop, not an uncommon occurrence for even genuinely good movies in today's industry. This is in addition to many complicated story nuances and a much larger cast due to the circumstances of these games, which could spell perhaps a return to form for the Hunger Games, or an unprecedented failure.