Stream All The Hunger Games Movies In Order: Where To Watch Hunger Games In The UK
The original version of this article was written by Jenni Russell and published in 2024.
Despite the enormous success of Suzanne Collins’ trilogy of novels, The Hunger Games really became a global cultural phenomenon with the release of the first movie in 2012. The story follows Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen, a girl from Panem’s poorest district who nominates herself to compete in the brutal battle royale event from which the series takes its name. Amongst the violence, she finds her true calling as a revolutionary leader.
Collins’ books have already been adapted into five feature films, with a sixth on the way this year. In the list below, you'll find a little more info on each instalment and find out how to watch them in the order they were intended to be seen. Read on to discover more and use the guide to find out where to stream The Hunger Games movies on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
Directed by Gary Ross, the first Hunger Games movie introduces viewers to Katniss Everdeen’s world and the deadly tournament she volunteers to participate in. This first instalment works as both an origin story and a showcase for the games themselves—which are more than worth the entry for fans of similar battle royale movie like The Hunt and Squid Game.
Jennifer Lawrence of course takes the lead, but the film’s cast isn’t short on A-list stars—including Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks, with Donald Sutherland stealing scenes left, right and centre as the villainous President Snow.
The second movie in the franchise, Catching Fire, follows Katniss and Peeta’s story in the aftermath of winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games—specifically as they embark on a Victor’s Tour of the districts and, later on, as they go to battle again in the Victors’ tournament—otherwise known as the Quarter Quell.
As well as being a hugely entertaining movie, Catching Fire is a key part of Katniss’s story arc as it explores her transition from champion to rebel leader. In this way, and also the manner in which it sets up the series’s climax, it’s comparable to other second instalments of popular trilogies—think movies like Matrix Reloaded and The Empire Strikes Back.
Inspired by the success of the first two movies, Lionsgate decided to split the final book in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy into two parts. The first is titled Mockingjay - Part I and focuses on Katniss's reluctance to become the symbol of the revolution against the Capitol.
Given the truncated nature of splitting the story into two, Mockingjay - Part I can feel like a lot of table-setting without a great deal of payoff. That said, we do get a lot more of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch Heavensbee, a character who ended up being the actor’s final role—so if you know Hoffman from movies like The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Master, you should really check him out in this one.
Mockingjay - Part II is Jennifer Lawrence’s final film as the iconic character and it delivers the climatic payoff that was promised at the end of Mockingjay - Part I. Like its predecessor, Mockingjay - Part II doesn’t feature the games exactly, but Collins designs Everdeen’s infiltration of the Capitol to offer similar thrills.
More than anything, Mockingjay - Part II offers a satisfying and emotional end to the Everdeen saga—and if you like movies like Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows: Part 2 or Matrix Revolutions, you’ll appreciate the sense of closure here.
Eight years after Mockingjay - Part II, the franchise returned with The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes: a prequel that explores the history of the Hunger Games and the early life of Coriolanus Snow, before he becomes the ruthless President of Panem. The movie is a hugely entertaining origin story—and if you appreciate movies that show you how villains become villains (like Cruella and Joker), you should definitely give it a shot.
The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes stars Tom Blyth as the young Corolanius Snow alongside an effervescent Rachel Ziegler in the role of Lucy Gray Baird. Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman and Hunter Schafer round out the charismatic cast.
There’s not an enormous amount we can say about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping at this point, aside from the fact that it’s a prequel movie that takes place 40 years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and 25 years before The Hunger Games, focusing on a young Haymish Abernathy as he competes for the first time.
The film is based on Suzanne Collins’ book of the same name, which was released earlier last year to glowing reviews. Relative newcomer Joseph Zada leads an all star cast that includes McKenna Grace, Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Kieran Kulkin and, most deliciously, Ralph Fiennes—who of course plays President Snow.
