By the time The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes came out, it had been eight years since theatrical audiences had last entered the world of Panem. Set so many years before the events of the original films, the only character that Songbirds had in common with the rest of the series was Snow. This fact was a risk, as President Snow is the main villain in the Hunger Games franchise, so the prequel would have to do a lot of work to make him sympathetic. Looking at Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, it is clear the wrong prequel was made.

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The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Box Office Is A Hunger Games Franchise Low

The Film Made $337.3 Million At The Box Office

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ended up grossing $337.3 million worldwide. Made on a budget of an estimated $100 million, this total was considered respectable for the film. Bringing home over three times its budget, Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes almost certainly turned a profit. The film received mixed reviews among critics, getting a 64% Rotten Tomatoes score, but was liked by audiences overall, getting an 89% approval rating.

In a vacuum, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ performance may have been solid, but it does not hold up against the other films. The overall box office total for the prequel represented a Hunger Games franchise low. The lowest-grossing film in the franchise before that was The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, but even that made nearly double the total of Songbirds & Snakes, taking home $661.4 million worldwide. Looking at these numbers, the box office for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes looks far less exciting.

Snow Was Never The Best Choice For A Hunger Games Prequel Story

President Snow Is Hard to Redeem

Part of the failure of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes comes down to the fact that Coriolanus Snow is not the strongest option when it comes to picking a protagonist for a prequel story. Going into the film, the majority of audiences will know the monster that he becomes as President Snow. Even if he has faced loss and hardship, he is still incredibly privileged to live in the Capitol. These privileges make his fall from innocence even less sympathetic, as it’s hard to see Snow as a humanized, mere unfortunate victim of his situation.

Portraying Coriolanus Snow was a pretty unavoidable fate for the Songbirds & Snakes creators, given their priorities. Director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson have both previously stated that the making of any Hunger Games film hinges on a story being written by author Collins. The President Snow origin story was the novel that Collins wrote, so as such, it was the material that the Hunger Games team had to work with to keep their commitment of faithfulness to Collins’ world.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes lacks an energy with Snow as the protagonist. The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire succeed in the suspense that arises as viewers question whether the main character, Katniss, will survive the Hunger Games and overcome adversity. With Snow, there is no significant adversity apart from complex Capitol politics, and there is no tangible threat to his life. The latter piece, is of course, heightened by a common prequel folly, which is that a character’s presence in later chronologies removes suspense over whether they will live or die.

Hunger Games Has Better Prequel Characters From Past Movies

Past Tributes Would Have Been More Interesting To Explore

If The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes had not adhered only to Collins’ book content, there would have been a plethora of options for better prequel characters. One such strong option would be Haymitch Abernathy, who is Katniss’ mentor. Haymitch was the victor of the 50th Annual Hunger Games. Since then, he has fallen into a distraught alcoholic state, making him a tragic figure in the series and a good metaphor for the horrors of the Capitol.

Because of how his life has fallen apart since his Hunger Games victory, Haymitch could be a great parable for the disaster that the Hunger Games can cause. His story also takes place 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games. For a prequel, this would allow enough time for there to be distance from the main story while still chronicling the story of a major character whose journey is a lot easier to empathize with.

In addition to Haymitch, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire introduces several past victors who could have their own interesting stories. Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason, winners of the 65th and 71st Hunger Games, respectively, would also provide interesting perspectives on the games. Both of them became mentors after winning their Hunger Games, and formed a friendship afterward. While a prequel related to either of them would be significantly closer chronologically than either a President Snow or Haymitch prequel, they are but one example of the tribute-based stories that The Hunger Games franchise could tell.

Songbirds & Snakes' Performance Could Mean No More Prequel Movies Happen

The Future of The Hunger Games Movies Is Uncertain

The Hunger Games franchise does have the opportunity for one of these such stories, even if they follow Jacobson and Lawrence’s rule about sticking to Collins’ work. Earlier this year, it was announced that Collins was working on another Hunger Games prequel book, titled Sunrise on the Reaping. This prequel would follow the story of Haymitch and his battles in the Second Quarter Quell, allowing a film adaptation to cover this fascinating character. Sunrise on the Reaping will be released next year.

That said, the performance of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes could inhibit any further prequels from being made. While Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was not a huge loss for Lionsgate, it did not nearly match the totals of the previous movies. Lacking this momentum, the studio might be more hesitant to embark on another Hunger Games project. If Collins’ book is successful, this narrative could change, but for now, the future of Tfranchise remains uncertain.

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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Drama

9/10

29

8.2/10

Release Date

November 17, 2023

Runtime

157 Minutes

Director

Francis Lawrence

Cast

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  Tom Blyth
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  Rachel Zegler

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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel movie set 64 years before the events of the original movie with Katniss Everdeen. The film centers on a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and shows his rise to power as the leader of Panem. Taking place during the 10th Hunger Games, Snow is tasked with mentoring Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the tribute from District 12.

Writers

Michael Lesslie, Michael Arndt, Suzanne Collins

Studio(s)

Color Force, Lionsgate

Distributor(s)

Lionsgate

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