Alan Ritchson's Dystopian Sci-Fi Becomes One Of The Biggest Movies On Streaming At The Perfect Time

Published Nov 3, 2026, 9:26 AM EST

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Alan Ritchson is one of the many stars of a dystopian sci-fi movie that has just found new life as one of the biggest releases on a major streaming service internationally, and it comes at the perfect time for the sci-fi franchise it is a part of. Ritchson's list of movies and TV shows has become defined by his turn as the physically imposing Jack Reacher in Prime Video's action thriller series Reacher and its new spin-off, Neagley. However, Ritchson has played with different genres throughout his career, including a fair share of comedies, superhero shows, and a few sci-fi releases.

In 2026, Ritchson starred in the sci-fi thriller War Machine, which has become the 10th most-watched Netflix movie of all time with 139.9 million views on its first 91 days, according to official Netflix data. That shows how the actor is a beloved genre star, and Ritchson appeared in multiple sci-fi releases before he got to lead the Netflix sensation. Among those are huge franchises, with Ritchson playing Raphael in two live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. The actor also joined The Hunger Games dystopian sci-fi franchise with a role in 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which has become a streaming hit.

Ritchson's Hunger Games Tenure Is Catching Fire On HBO Max

At the time of writing, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has become the 8th most popular movie on HBO Max's Top 10 Movies chart worldwide, according to data from FlixPatrol. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was originally released in theaters on November 22, 2013, grossing a whopping $865 million by the end of its theatrical run, making it the biggest box office hit in the popular movie franchise. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire also boasts the highest Rotten Tomatoes critics' score for the dystopian sci-fi franchise with a stellar 90%. Catching Fire is streaming on Hulu, Lionsgate+, Tubi, and more in the United States, according to JustWatch.

On HBO Max internationally, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ranks higher than Evil Dead Burn, which once topped the streamer's global charts. Ritchson's appearance in the beloved sci-fi franchise, where he plays the District 1 male tribute Gloss, is not the only The Hunger Games movie on the list. Alongside Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 ranks 10th, with the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes at 7th, and the original The Hunger Games at 3rd, making the franchise a major hit on HBO Max globally. At the top of the chart is the Swedish horror movie Feed.

The Dystopian Franchise Is Returning With Its Most-Anticipated Story Yet

The Hunger Games franchise's streaming resurgence on HBO Max internationally is perfectly timed, as the sci-fi universe is coming back soon. Another The Hunger Games prequel movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, will be released in theaters on November 20. The movie explores a story fans have waited several years to see in live-action, as Sunrise on the Reaping is all about the Second Quarter Quell, aka The Hunger Games edition won by Haymitch Abernathy, with Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch. Franchise stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will return, so The Hunger Games franchise's streaming success sets up the new film nicely.