''The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' is a 2013 American

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by

Simon Beaufoy Simon Beaufoy (; born 26 December 1966) is a British screenwriter. Born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, he was educated at Malsis School in Cross Hills, Ermysted's Grammar School and Sedbergh School, he read English at St Peter's College ...

and Michael deBruyn, based on the 2009 novel ''

Catching Fire ''Catching Fire'' is a 2009 science fiction young adult novel by the American novelist Suzanne Collins, the second book in ''The Hunger Games'' series. As the sequel to the 2008 bestseller ''The Hunger Games'', it continues the story of Katni ...

'' by Suzanne Collins. The sequel to '' The Hunger Games'' (2012), it is the second installment in ''The Hunger Games'' film series. The film stars

Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in ''Time''s 100 most influential people i ...

, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks,

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

, Philip Seymour Hoffman,

Jeffrey Wright Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Belize in the Broadway production of ''Angels in America'', for which he would win a Tony Award, and its HBO miniseries adaptation, for which he would ...

, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland. In the film,

Katniss Everdeen Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character and the protagonist of ''The Hunger Games'' trilogy written by American author Suzanne Collins. Her name comes from a plant with edible tubers called ''Sagittaria'' (katniss), from Sagittarius the Arche ...

(Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the Games inspire uprisings in

Panem ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 64 ...

. Lionsgate announced a sequel film based on Collins' second ''Hunger Games'' novel in 2012, with Gary Ross initially set to return as director; Ross was replaced with Lawrence that May, while deBruyn completed several rewrites to Beaufoy's screenplay. The main cast was confirmed by September 2012 and principal photography began later that month, lasting until March 2013. Filming locations included Georgia, Hawaii, and New Jersey. ''The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on November 11, 2013, and was released in the United States on November 22, by Lionsgate. The film, often considered the best in the series, received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Lawrence's performance, its themes, action sequences, musical score, screenplay, visual effects, and emotional depth. It grossed $865 million, setting the then-records for biggest November opening weekend and the biggest Thanksgiving period box-office totals; it is the highest-grossing Lionsgate and ''The Hunger Games'' film, the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2013, and the highest-grossing film featuring a female lead since '' The Exorcist'' (1973). Among its accolades, the film was nominated for the

Broadcast Film Critics Association Award The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writt ...

for Best Action Film and a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...

for Best Science Fiction Film. For her performance, Lawrence was nominated for the

Empire Award The Empire Awards was an annual British awards ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the local and global film industry. Winners were awarded the Empire Award statuette. The awards, first presented in 1996, were presented by the British f ...

, and

for Best Actress. The soundtrack's lead single, " Atlas" by Coldplay, was nominated for the Grammy Award for

Best Song Written for Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media (including its previous names) is the Grammy Awards awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media. Recipients * Each year is linked t ...

and for the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Original Song. The film was followed by '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' in 2014.

Plot

and Peeta Mellark have settled into a life of material comfort and emotional unease back in District 12 following their joint victory in the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss was traumatized from the Games and remains emotionally distant from Peeta.

President Snow The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

visits Katniss and reveals that her defiance in the Games has inspired revolts across Panem. To suppress the rebellion, he demands that she and Peeta feign love during the Victory Tour, threatening to destroy District 12 and kill their families if they refuse. During their Victory Tour, Katniss and Peeta's speeches only lead to further unrest across the districts. The two publicly announce their engagement in an attempt to persuade Panem's citizens of their love. However, President Snow remains unconvinced. At the Capitol, Katniss meets the mysterious new head Gamemaker

Plutarch Heavensbee The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

. Upon returning home, Katniss witnesses the brutality of the Capitol's Peacekeepers. Gale is publicly whipped for trying to intervene in their beating of civilians, leading to a violent confrontation that results in Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch's involvement. The 75th Hunger Games, also known as the third Quarter Quell, is announced with a twist: tributes are to be selected from the existing pool of victors. As the only living female victor from District 12, Katniss is forced to compete, and at the Reaping, Effie draws Haymitch’s name, but Peeta immediately volunteers in his place. In a last attempt to halt the Games, Peeta lies during his pre-Games interview that he and Katniss had already married and are expecting a child, leading to a further outcry by Capitol's citizens. As ordered by Snow, Katniss wears a wedding dress for her interview, but Cinna, her stylist, designs it to shift into a

mockingjay ''Mockingjay'' is a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is chronologically the last installment of ''The Hunger Games'' series, following 2008's ''The Hunger Games'' and 2009's ''Catching Fire''. The book continue ...

symbol. Just before Katniss enters the arena, Cinna is brutally beaten in front of her and later killed for altering the dress. In the Games, Katniss and Peeta form an alliance with Finnick Odair and the elderly Mags from District 4. They encounter a deadly poisonous fog at night; and when Peeta is hurt, Mags sacrifices herself so the others can escape. The group also fights a pack of genetically mutated

mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

s, during which the female tribute from District 6 sacrifices herself to save Peeta. Fleeing to the beach, the group unites with Beetee and Wiress from District 3, and Johanna Mason, the female tribute from District 7. Wiress discovers that the arena is designed like a clock, with dangers recurring at set intervals. The group is suddenly ambushed by the Careers. Katniss and Johanna kill Gloss and Cashmere, but Wiress is killed in the encounter. Beetee proposes a plan to lure the remaining Careers to the wet beach and electrocute them using the lightning strikes recurring every 12 hours. The group splits to prepare the trap, laying a wire from a tree to the shoreline. When District 2 tributes Brutus and Enobaria appear, Johanna incapacitates Katniss, cutting the tracker out of her arm before fleeing. Katniss finds an unconscious Beetee, apparently electrocuted by contact with the arena's force field. Unable to find Peeta and hearing a cannon, Katniss nearly attacks Finnick, suspecting his betrayal, but he reminds her to "remember who the real enemy is." Katniss attaches the wire to an arrow, firing it into the arena's roof just as lightning strikes. The electricity travels along the wire, destroying the arena's force fields, and causing its computer systems to fail. Katniss is knocked unconscious by the lightning strike and is picked up by a hovercraft. Katniss awakes in the hovercraft and finds Haymitch, Finnick, a still-unconscious Beetee, and Heavensbee, who is revealed to be a rebel against Snow. Haymitch tells her they are bound for District 13, headquarters of the new rebellion. He reveals that half of the tributes were in on the plan to rescue her; however, Peeta and Johanna were captured by the Capitol. Enraged, Katniss attacks Haymitch for violating his promise to save Peeta before she is sedated. She awakens in District 13 with Gale. He reassures her that her family is safe, but that District 12 has been destroyed by the Capitol.

Cast

* Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark * Liam Hemsworth as

Gale Hawthorne The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

* Woody Harrelson as

Haymitch Abernathy The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

* Elizabeth Banks as

Effie Trinket The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

as Cinna * Philip Seymour Hoffman as

as Beetee Latier * Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman * Donald Sutherland as

President Coriolanus Snow The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

* Toby Jones as Claudius Templesmith * Willow Shields as

Primrose Everdeen The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

* Sam Claflin as

Finnick Odair The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

* Lynn Cohen as Mags Flanagan * Jena Malone as

Johanna Mason The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

* Amanda Plummer as Wiress *

Meta Golding Meta Golding is a Haitian-American actress. Life and career Golding was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Her parents were international aid workers and she was raised in several countries. Besides the United States, Golding also lived in India, H ...

as Enobaria * Bruno Gunn as Brutus *

Alan Ritchson Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982) is an American actor, model, singer and songwriter. He made his acting debut as Aquaman / Arthur Curry on The CW superhero series ''Smallville'' (2005–2010), where he appeared as a guest star betw ...

as Gloss * Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Cashmere *

Patrick St. Esprit Patrick St. Esprit (born May 18, 1954)"Patrick St. Esprit"
Retrieved 5 June 2015 is an American character actor ...

as Romulus Thread *

Paula Malcomson Paula Malcomson (born 1 June 1970) is a Northern Irish actress. She is sometimes credited as Paula Williams. She is known as Trixie in ''Deadwood'' (2004-2006), Maureen Ashby in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2010), and as Abby Donovan in ''Ray Donovan'' ...

as Mrs. Everdeen *

Stef Dawson Stef Dawson (born 17 December 1983) is an Australian actress. She portrayed Annie Cresta in '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' and '' Part 2''. She also made a cameo appearance in '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire''. Personal life Da ...

Annie Cresta The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

Nelson Ascencio Nelson Ascencio (born August 30, 1964) is a Cuban-American actor and comedian. Ascencio is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series ''MADtv'' and for playing Flavius in ''The Hunger Games'' fil ...

as Flavius * Bruce Bundy as Octavia

Production

Pre-production

Lionsgate announced that a film adaptation of ''

'' would be released as ''The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' on November 22, 2013, as a sequel to the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of '' The Hunger Games'', with principal photography to take place in September 2012.

was hired to write the script for the film and wrote two drafts before leaving after Gary Ross, director of ''The Hunger Games'' decided not to direct the sequel. The shooting timeframe was co-ordinated between Lionsgate and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, in order to allow time for

to shoot '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'', the sequel to Fox's '' X-Men: First Class'', in January 2013. On April 10, 2012, it was announced that Gary Ross, director of ''The Hunger Games'', would not return due to a 'tight' and 'fitted' schedule. Ross cited the lack of time he had for directing and writing the film in the three and a half months after the release of the first film as the reason for leaving the franchise, hence his decision to move on to direct ''

Free State of Jones Jones County is in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,246. Its county seats are Laurel and Ellisville. Jones County is part of the Laurel micropolitan area. History Less t ...

''. Bennett Miller,

Joe Cornish Joseph Murray Cornish (born 20 December 1968) is an English comedian and filmmaker. With his long-time comedy partner, Adam Buxton, he forms the comedy duo Adam and Joe. In 2011, Cornish released his directorial debut ''Attack the Block''. He ...

, Francis Lawrence and

Juan Antonio Bayona Juan Antonio García Bayona (born 9 May 1975) is a Spanish film director. He directed the 2007 horror film '' The Orphanage'', the 2012 drama film '' The Impossible'', and the 2016 fantasy drama film ''A Monster Calls''. Bayona's latest film i ...

were all being considered to direct the new film. On April 19, 2012, it was announced that Francis Lawrence was offered the director position for the film. Lionsgate officially announced Francis Lawrence as the director for ''Catching Fire'' on May 3, 2012. Two days later, it was reported that

Michael Arndt Michael Arndt is an American screenwriter. He is best known as the writer of the films ''Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006), ''Toy Story 3'' (2010), and '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015). Arndt won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenpl ...

('' Toy Story 3'', ''

Little Miss Sunshine ''Little Miss Sunshine'' is a 2006 American tragicomedy road film and the feature film directorial debut of the husband–wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Michael Arndt. The film sta ...

'') was in talks to re-write the script for ''Catching Fire''. On May 24, 2012, the film was renamed ''The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' and Arndt was confirmed as the new writer of the script. Arndt was paid $400,000 a week for re-writing the script. According to sources, the adaptation needed to be done filming by December 2012 to fit Jennifer Lawrence's schedule. When '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'' lost its original director and shooting for the film was delayed till April 2013, Jennifer Lawrence was no longer needed to be filming in January 2013 and the shooting timeframe for ''The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' was extended to March (including several breaks due to the holidays and awards season). The film featured sequences filmed in the

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

format.

Casting

In July 2012, it was announced that Jena Malone would portray Johanna Mason, that Amanda Plummer would portray Wiress, and that Philip Seymour Hoffman would portray Plutarch Heavensbee. Following this, in August 2012, it was announced that Lynn Cohen had been cast as Mags.

was cast as Gloss on August 9, Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair on August 22, and

as Beetee on September 7. Grant Gustin auditioned for the role of Finnick Odair.

Garrett Hedlund Garrett John Hedlund (born September 3, 1984) is an American actor. His films include ''Troy'' (2004), '' Friday Night Lights'' (2004), '' Four Brothers'' (2005), ''Eragon'' (2006), ''Death Sentence'' (2007), '' Tron: Legacy'' (2010), ''Country ...

was offered the role, but he passed on it as he was working on ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...

''.

Filming

Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth all dyed their hair for the movie once again. Lawrence went back into archery training in order to get in shape for the role while the supporting cast undertook training in preparation for the arena scenes. Production officially began on September 10, 2012, with shooting concluding for some of the cast on December 21, 2012. After the Christmas break, filming resumed for two weeks in mid January for some of the main cast and was placed on hold for awards season. Principal photography resumed and concluded in March 2013. Shooting first took place in and around metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia and then moved to Hawaii, to shoot the arena scenes. The cast and crew were on a busy schedule, working 14-hour days and six days a week. In an interview with MTV, Josh Hutcherson confirmed scenes in the film would use IMAX cameras by stating, "They're shooting, I think, all the stuff in the arena is going to be IMAX". Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth were in Ringwood, New Jersey shooting District 12 scenes involving snow for the beginning of the film on January 31 and February 1. Jennifer Lawrence confirmed that she would fly out to Hawaii on February 25, the day after she won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 85th Academy Awards to shoot for the final 9 days along with Claflin and Hutcherson. In late March, filming occurred in the Universal Studios backlot and was kept extremely secretive. Witnesses reported towers and fences on set. None of the main cast were believed to have been on set. Reshoots were scheduled for April 13 in Atlanta. With the base camp set up at Executive Park off North Druid Hills Road, filming also occurred at the

Goat Farm Arts Center The Goat Farm Arts Center is a visual and performing arts center located in West Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. The center is housed in a 19th-century complex of industrial buildings and contains the studio space of over 300 artists. Goat Farm hosts mu ...

. Francis Lawrence has estimated an hour of the film would be devoted to Arena scenes, and said that cameras would be mounted to avoid the shaky-cam look from the first film. In an IMAX featurette, Francis Lawrence also confirmed that scenes taking place in the Arena were shot on IMAX cameras to distinguish them from scenes external to the Arena. Approximately 50 minutes of the film's footage was shot in the IMAX format, through the use of three IMAX 15 perf/65mm film cameras.

Costumes

Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen, gave pieces of McQueen's collection to costume designer Trish Summerville. Summerville collaborated with Indonesian designer

Tex Saverio Tex Saverio (born 28 August 1984, in Jakarta) is an Indonesian fashion designer. In September 2005, Saverio won a national award in the Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award, which qualified him to compete against other Southeast Asian designers the fo ...

when designing Katniss' wedding dress for the Quarter Quell interviews.

Music

Soundtrack

British singer Ed Sheeran recorded three songs for the soundtrack, but Lionsgate declined the offer. On May 14, 2013, Alexandra Patsavas was listed in the credits as music supervisor, replacing

T Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...

from the first film. Coldplay were announced as the first official artist to be featured on the ''Catching Fire'' soundtrack album, with the song " Atlas", released worldwide on September 6, 2013. Christina Aguilera announced that her song, "

We Remain "We Remain" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera, taken from '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'', the soundtrack to the 2013 American science-fiction adventure film '' The Hunger Games: Catching ...

", would be part of the official soundtrack of the film. Other artists featured on the soundtrack include

Of Monsters and Men Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie folk/rock band formed in Reykjavík in 2010. The members are lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer and guitarist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, lead guitarist Brynjar Leifsson ...

with "Silhouettes", Sia featuring The Weeknd &

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

with "

Elastic Heart "Elastic Heart" is a song written by Australian singer Sia, featuring Canadian singer the Weeknd and American record producer Diplo, for the soundtrack of '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'', a film based on the novel of the same name by S ...

", The National with "Lean", The Weeknd with "Devil May Cry",

Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their sing ...

with "Who We Are",

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

with " Everybody Wants to Rule the World", The Lumineers with "Gale Song",

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

with "Mirror", Patti Smith with "Capitol Letter", Santigold with "Shooting Arrows at the Sky", Mikky Ekko with "Place for Us", Phantogram with "Lights", and Antony and the Johnsons with "Angel on Fire".

Score

In October 2012, composer

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

confirmed that he would return to score the film. The score album was released on November 25, 2013. All songs written and composed by James Newton Howard, except "We're a Team" (co-written by Coldplay band members: Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin).

Release

Marketing

On November 16, 2012, the first teaser trailer was released with '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2'' and revealed the official logo and tagline for the film. Lionsgate announced a sweepstakes competition where 12 fans would have their name listed in the film's credits. On January 11, 2013, '' Entertainment Weekly'' released a 2013 Preview edition of their magazine, with the first look of Lawrence as Katniss and Claflin as Finnick on the cover as well as several stills showcasing scenes from the film. On February 22, both Hitfix and the official Facebook page debuted two viral posters of the Victory Tour featuring

(Katniss) and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta). On January 28, 2013, CapitolCouture.PN, a promotional site for the film's fashion and culture, opened and could only be unlocked with a passcode. Once in, a picture of a blue chair appeared and told readers to check back on March 4. On March 4, 2013, the site began to release portraits of the various characters. Alongside the announcement of the teaser trailer premiering at the

2013 MTV Movie Awards The 2013 MTV Movie Awards were held on April 14, 2013 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. The show was hosted by Rebel Wilson. The nominees were announced on March 5. Performers * Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Esther De ...

, Lionsgate revealed a new website calle
TheHungerGamesExplorer
On April 10, the website was updated and fans had to tweet using the hashtag #HungerGamesExplorer to unlock new stills from the movie. A still could be unlocked every day leading up to April 14, 2013, the teaser trailer's release date. The teaser trailer thus debuted at the

on April 14, presented by Liam Hemsworth, and the trailer was posted on TheHungerGamesExplorer and YouTube after the ceremony. "Beyond Fire" by T.T.L. was played as the trailer music. An exclusive new trailer debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con International on July 20, 2013, also being released online on that day. Walmart released the first TV spot on their Facebook page on October 14, featuring Coldplay's song, " Atlas". On October 27, 2013, during the fifth inning of Game 4 of the

2013 World Series The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Lea ...

, the final trailer was released. Three days later, on October 30, 2013, a new IMAX poster for the film debuted.

Theatrical

The film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square theater in London on November 11, 2013. The film was later released on November 22, 2013, in the United States in conventional and

theaters. The film was also shown in the

4DX 4DX is a 4D film format developed by CJ 4DPlex, a subsidiary of South Korean cinema chain CJ CGV. It allows films to be augmented with various practical effects, including motion-seats, wind, strobe-lights, simulated-snow, and scents. First in ...

format in selected international territories. It features motion-enhanced seating, wind, water sprays, strobe lightning, and scent-based special effects. The film was released in 4,165 theaters in the United States and Canada alone.

Home media

The Blu-ray/ DVD release date for the film in the United States was March 7, 2014. The entire ''Hunger Games'' series was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray on November 8, 2016. Actresses Lynn Cohen and Stephanie Leigh Schlund, who played Mags and Cashmere in the film, respectively, promoted the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film with an appearance at the March 7, 2014 midnight release of the product at the Walmart in

Secaucus, New Jersey Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264, Worldwide, it is the highest-grossing film of ''The Hunger Games'' series, the highest-grossing film distributed by Lionsgate and the fifth-highest-grossing 2013 film. In North America, ''Catching Fire'' is the 30th-highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing film of ''The Hunger Games'' series, the highest-grossing film distributed by Lionsgate and the highest-grossing 2013 film. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold more than 50 million tickets in the United States and Canada. It became the first 2-D film since '' The Dark Knight'' (2008), as well as the first film with a female lead since '' The Exorcist'' (1973), to top the yearly box office. It is also the top-selling film in Fandango history, surpassing previous record-holder '' Avatar''. The film earned $25.3 million during Thursday late-night showings. It topped the box office on its opening day with $71.0 million (including Thursday late-night showings), which is higher than its predecessor's opening-day gross ($67.3 million) and is also the seventh largest single-day and opening-day gross. During its opening weekend, ''The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' claimed first place with $158.1 million, opening higher than its predecessor ($152.5 million). This was the sixth-highest-grossing opening weekend, the second-highest-grossing opening weekend of 2013 behind '' Iron Man 3'' ($174.1 million), and the highest-grossing opening weekend in November, breaking the record set by '' The Twilight Saga: New Moon'' ($142.9 million) in 2009. The film held the November weekend record for nine years until it was topped in 2022 by '' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'' ($181.3 million). It was in first place for two consecutive weekends. The film also broke the following records: the biggest Friday for a film in its second weekend, the largest three-day ($74.2 million) and largest five-day ($109.9 million) Thanksgiving gross. The latter two records would be held until 2019 when they were both surpassed by '' Frozen II''. The film achieved the fifth-highest-grossing opening week (Friday-to-Thursday), the third-highest non-opening Wednesday and the fourth-largest second weekend. Outside North America, it is the highest-grossing film of ''The Hunger Games'' series, the highest-grossing film released by Lionsgate and the seventh-highest-grossing 2013 film. On its first weekend, it was only released in Brazil (November 15, 2013), where it grossed $2.4 million on its opening day and $5.26 million for the weekend. On the following Wednesday and Thursday, it opened in 42 more territories, bringing its total to $32 million in a week. The film opened in 63 other territories and earned $138.4 million during the weekend ($146.6 million including its first week in Brazil). Its three largest openings occurred in the UK, Ireland and Malta ($19.8 million), China ($13.0 million) and Germany ($12.9 million). In total earnings, its largest countries are the UK, Ireland and Malta ($55.5 million), Germany ($43.4 million) and Australia ($34.3 million).

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 293 reviews, with a rating average of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Smart, smoothly directed, and enriched with a deeper exploration of the franchise's thought-provoking themes, ''Catching Fire'' proves a thoroughly compelling second installment in the ''Hunger Games'' series." It was the highest rated science fiction/fantasy movie of the year on the website. Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". According to polls conducted during the opening weekend by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

, audiences gave the film an average rating of "A" on an A+ to F scale. '' The Hollywood Reporter'' said that the film has received "generally positive reviews" and CNN reported that reviews were "overwhelmingly positive" but noted that "an overarching complaint" was that it "runs needlessly long ... and the screenplay and direction do occasionally fall short." '' Entertainment Weekly'' said the consensus was that the sequel is "a more-confident, more-polished movie that delves deeper into Panem's political conflict". It also reported, "Critics are impressed that awrencecommits to Katniss just as much as she would a complex David O. Russell character." Writing for '' The Village Voice'', Stephanie Zacharek praised

's performance, writing that the actress is "both on fire and in the process of becoming, and it’s magnificent to watch." Peter Travers of '' Rolling Stone'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of four and said, "Pop-culture escapism can be thrilling when dished out by experts. Katniss is a character worth a handful of sequels. And Lawrence lights up the screen. You'll follow her anywhere." He also commended supporting actors Sam Claflin and Jena Malone. Reviewing on Roger Ebert's website, Susan Wloszczyna of '' USA Today'' awarded the film three out of four stars, praising the acting of Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer and Jena Malone and referring to the challenges of the arena as "visually intriguing." Wloszczyna writes: "...the one truly fresh invention—and the one that matters most—is Katniss herself. With each on-screen chapter, the poor girl from District 12 continues to fulfill her destiny as an inspiration and a rebel fighter." Ian Nathan of '' Empire'' gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and noted that it was even better than the first film. He praised director Lawrence for "taking a more muscular approach" and "sensibly downplaying" the love triangle, noting that "neither eeta nor Gale quite frankly, are fit to lay a pinky on atniss'quiver". One fault he did find was in Philip Seymour Hoffman's "surprisingly ineffective performance". A negative review came from Sophie Monks Kaufman of '' Little White Lies'', who praised Lawrence's performance but criticized the "dilution of the ingredients that made ''The Hunger Games'' so gripping." She also found fault with the "lumbering" plot, the "hamminess" of President Snow and Plutarch Heavensbee and the "lackluster and unconvincing script culled from a dramatically difficult book". David Denby of '' The New Yorker'' argued that the premise "doesn't make a lot of sense". He praised the "impressive" first act and Jennifer Lawrence, for "project ngthe kind of strength that

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

had when she was young." Denby found the second act "attenuated and rhythmless" and criticised the "incoherent" finale that "will send the audience scurrying back to the book to find out what’s supposed to be going on".

Accolades

Sequels

In July 2012, Lionsgate announced that two films based on the final book in '' The Hunger Games'' trilogy, ''

Mockingjay ''Mockingjay'' is a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is chronologically the last installment of ''The Hunger Games'' series, following 2008's ''The Hunger Games'' and 2009's ''Catching Fire''. The book continue ...

'', were scheduled to be released. The first film, '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'', was released on November 21, 2014, while the second film, '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2'', was released on November 20, 2015. Principal photography on the two-part film began on September 23, 2013, in Atlanta and concluded on June 20, 2014, in Berlin, Germany.

References

Notes

External links

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