Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping: Film Release Set for 20 November 2026

Verified and updated: 14 November 2026, 13:05 UTC (13:05 GMT).

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is now a published novel, and its film adaptation is scheduled to reach cinemas on 20 November 2026. The latest major publisher update, issued by Scholastic on 22 January 2026, confirmed new paperback editions and reported more than 4.4 million World English copies sold across the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. That makes the immediate news for UK readers a film countdown and edition availability, rather than a newly announced Suzanne Collins book.

The film’s release date is six days away. Scholastic identifies Francis Lawrence as director and says the adaptation is based on Collins’s novel, with a screenplay by Billy Ray. The company’s January announcement also listed a movie tie-in paperback for 1 September 2026, published simultaneously in the UK and other English-language markets.

• Destaques
• The novel was published on 18 March 2025; it is the fifth book in the series.
• Its story follows Haymitch Abernathy during the Fiftieth Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell.
• Scholastic reported more than 4.4 million World English copies sold as of 22 January 2026.
• The film is scheduled for UK cinemas on 20 November 2026; no event time applies to this release date.

What changed since Suzanne Collins announced the novel?

Scholastic announced the fifth Hunger Games novel on 6 June 2024, setting its publication for 18 March 2025. The publisher described a return to Panem 24 years before the original story, beginning on the morning of the Fiftieth Hunger Games. The book has since been published, and the sales milestones and paperback plans now provide a clearer picture of its commercial reach and the run-up to the screen adaptation.

In the January 2026 release, Scholastic said the title had sold more than 4.4 million World English copies in print, ebook and audiobook formats across six markets, including the UK. It also reported that the novel was the top-selling children’s or young adult book of 2025 in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. These are publisher-reported figures, not a current weekly sales ranking.

The edition schedule has moved on too. Scholastic listed a trade paperback for 4 August 2026 in the US and Canada and a movie tie-in paperback for 1 September 2026 across the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The UK date in that announcement refers to the tie-in edition, not the film.

What is Sunrise on the Reaping about?

The novel revisits the Second Quarter Quell, when the Capitol takes twice as many tributes from each district as usual. In District 12, Haymitch is drawn into the Games alongside three other local tributes. The premise connects the prequel to the original trilogy through a younger version of a character readers already know, while focusing on the political spectacle and coercion surrounding the Games.

Collins said the idea for this book was shaped by David Hume’s writing about how a few can govern many. Scholastic’s announcement links that influence to the story’s interest in power and submission. The novel therefore supplies a distinct historical episode in Panem, rather than continuing Katniss Everdeen’s story after the original trilogy.

When does the Sunrise on the Reaping film come out in the UK?

Scholastic’s 22 January 2026 announcement gives the film’s release date as 20 November 2026. The announcement does not give a cinema showtime, and individual UK screenings will depend on local listings. It names Francis Lawrence as director and Billy Ray as screenwriter. The cast list includes Joseph Zada as well as actors including Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin and Elle Fanning.

The date is the confirmed near-term milestone in the publisher’s current announcement. No additional production change or newly announced sequel was confirmed in the sources checked for this update. Any predictions about box office, audience response or further films remain speculation until the studios announce them.

Why is the book attracting renewed interest?

The timing offers a straightforward reason: the film is scheduled for release next week, while the tie-in edition is already on the publisher’s announced schedule. Readers looking for a refresher can start with the novel’s central context: Haymitch’s experience in the Games takes place decades before Katniss’s first arena, but the story revisits the institutions and rules that shape the series.

For UK readers deciding which edition to pick up, the tie-in paperback is the edition Scholastic specifically listed for the UK alongside the film launch. The publisher’s announcement does not establish stock at any particular bookseller, so availability and delivery dates should be checked with the retailer. Likewise, cinema times and locations should be verified with local cinemas as listings are posted.

Sources and verification

Details were checked against Scholastic’s 22 January 2026 announcement on paperback editions, sales and the film, its 6 June 2024 announcement of the novel, and the Hunger Games series press kit.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sunrise on the Reaping already published?

Yes. Scholastic lists the novel’s publication date as 18 March 2025.

When is the film released?

Scholastic lists 20 November 2026. Check UK cinema listings for local showtimes.

Who is the main character in the prequel?

The story centres on a young Haymitch Abernathy during the Fiftieth Hunger Games.