The Hunger Games returns to theaters with epic five-movie event

All five The Hunger Games films return to theaters this September ahead of Sunrise on the Reaping

Lionsgate has announced that all five existing The Hunger Games films will return to theaters this September as part of a special theatrical event ahead of the release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

The limited re-release gives fans an opportunity to revisit the complete cinematic saga on the big screen before the franchise's next installment arrives in theaters on November 20. While Lionsgate has yet to reveal screening dates, participating cinemas or ticket sale information, the studio confirmed that every previous film in the series will be included in the event.

The lineup features The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay – Part 1, Mockingjay – Part 2, and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The theatrical event marks the first time audiences will be able to experience the full franchise in cinemas before the release of a new chapter.

The re-release comes ahead of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which adapts Suzanne Collins' bestselling novel. Set 24 years before the original story, the film follows a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, where twice the usual number of tributes are forced into the arena.

The upcoming prequel stars Joseph Zada as Haymitch, alongside Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Ben Wang and Molly McCann. Franchise director Francis Lawrence returns to helm the film, with a screenplay by Billy Ray.

Additional details about the September screenings are expected to be announced by Lionsgate in the coming weeks.