The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes becomes a streaming hit after the confirmation of a new franchise prequel. Serving as the latest installment in the popular Hunger Games franchise, the film, which is directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence, stars Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute in the 10th iteration of the titular games who crosses paths with a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth). After the generally positive Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes reviews, it’s now been confirmed that a new Hunger Games book and movie called Sunrise on the Reaping are on the way.

Following the Sunrise on the Reaping confirmation, Reelgood’s streaming popularity chart reveals that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the ninth most popular movie on streaming in the U.S. for the week of June 6 – 12. The prequel film beats out The Boys on the Boat, but loses to movies like Oppenheimer, Saving Private Ryan, and Atlas. Check out the full top 10 movies list below:

Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes’ Theatrical Performance Explained

What’s Next For The Hunger Games Franchise?

Hitting theaters in November 2023, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was the first entry in the franchise in eight years, with the previous being The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 in 2015. The prequel film didn’t quite reach the same heights as earlier installments, however. While critics’ reviews were generally positive, the film currently holds only a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of all the Hunger Games movies.

While the critics’ reception was somewhat lukewarm, the audience response is arguably what saved The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The film’s audience score is much more impressive 89%, which is tied as the highest of the franchise. This positive audience reception helped get the film to $337.4 million worldwide, making the movie a financial success.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ box office, though, is still the lowest of the franchise by a considerable margin, which meant it wasn’t entirely clear what the franchise’s future was. With Sunrise on the Reaping now confirmed, and with the film set to potentially explore the backstory of Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch, the upcoming film could see the franchise regain the dominance it once had. While many questions remain about Sunrise on the Reaping, it’s clear that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is now finding renewed success on streaming.

Source: Reelgood