Sunrise on the Reaping's epic runtime sets new record for Hunger Games series

The upcoming Hunger Games film Sunrise on the Reaping has set a huge record for the franchise with its runtime. Based on the book of the same name from Suzanne Collins, Sunrise on the Reaping focuses on Haymitch Abernathy and his Hunger Games during the second Quarter Quell.

Ahead of the film's release on 20 November, its epic runtime has been confirmed, and it breaks records for the series.

According to the IFCO, Sunrise on the Reaping will be 158 minutes long, making it the longest Hunger Games film yet.

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It just beats 2023's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which has a runtime of 157 minutes.

The shortest film in the Hunger Games franchise is Mockingjay Part One at 123 minutes, followed by Mockingjay Part Two at 137 minutes.

Sunrise on the Reaping begins on the day of the 50th Hunger Games, in which a 16-year-old Haymitch, played by Joseph Zada, competes for District 12.

The film stars Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket and Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman.

The cast also includes the likes of Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang, Glenn Close, Billy Porter, Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Iris Apatow, Whitney Peak, and Kara Tointon.

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Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are also set to reprise their iconic roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

Speaking at a Filmmaker Presentation for Sunrise on the Reaping, which Digital Spy attended, director Francis Lawrence – who's directed every Hunger Games movie since Catching Fire – said the film felt like a "return to form of the first two movies".

"The Mockingjay [movies] changed a little bit because it was the finale of the original series and, of course, Ballad was very different in seeing the origin story of the antagonist, and it was a very different movie structurally," he explained.

"This really is a return to form to, let's say, something like Catching Fire in terms of structure, in terms of feeling, in terms of backing and empathising with a character who's going through something quite spectacular, but also quite horrible. I was just really thrilled about that."

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is released in cinemas on 20 November.

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn