How Much The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Cost To Make & What Box Office It Needs

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is eyeing a good opening weekend at the box office, but will its total gross be enough to make back the cost of production? Despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes — both of which have now ended following a new deal with the AMPTP — The Hunger Games prequel movie wasn’t delayed as so many others have been. The film, directed by Francis Lawrence and adapted from Suzanne Collins’ book of the same name, has a high quality production value, but it actually cost less to make than three of the previous Hunger Games films.

Set 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and another tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). Reviews have been mixed, but there has been a large contingent of critics who have written mostly positive things about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. How the prequel’s critical reception will affect its overall box office gross is unclear, but the film’s opening weekend should see fans of the original movies heading to theaters. It’s also unclear how the prequel’s box office will compare to its predecessors, but it’s looking to make a good amount regardless.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes’ Budget Is Reportedly $100 Million

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reportedly had a budget of around $100 million (via Deadline). The prequel’s budget may seem high, but considering it has a lower production cost than the last three movies in the Hunger Games franchise makes it a modest blockbuster financially. To compare, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ budget is quite a bit more than the original film, which cost $78 million to make, but far less than Catching Fire, whose budget ran between $130-140 million, Mockingjay – Part 1, which cost around $125-140 million, and Mockingjay – Part 2, which cost the most to make with its budget of $160 million.

The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Needs To Make At Least $200 Million To Succeed At The Box Office

It’s been eight years since the final Hunger Games movie released in theaters, but there is still interest in the franchise, which is currently tracking to make $50 million domestically in its opening weekend at the box office. That’s on the high end, and its lower estimates put it at $38 million. The prequel’s four predecessors made a total of $2.97 billion at the global box office, with Catching Fire grossing the most individually with $865 million. With its $100 million budget, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes needs to make at least $200 million to be break-even, and $250 million — closer to $300 million — to be considered profitable.

Long-term, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is expected to end its domestic run having made anywhere between $97-157 million (via Box Office Pro). This doesn’t factor in how the Hunger Games prequel will do internationally. As far as box office tracking goes, the franchise’s fifth installment isn’t expected to make more than the original movies in its opening weekend, but if it does well overseas, then The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will at least make back its budget. With the Thanksgiving holiday weekend looming, the prequel has a good chance of being profitable so long as its box office numbers achieve or surpass early projections.