All 5 of The Hunger Games movies ranked from worst to best (including The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)

The Hunger Games movies returned to theaters this fall before the premiere of the fifth movie of the franchise, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which premiered on Nov. 17, 2023. With five movies in the series, we ranked all four of The Hunger Games movies from worst to best.

The Hunger Games movies are based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling trilogy of the same name. I’m a huge fan of The Hunger Games trilogy. Collins does an incredible job telling Katniss’s story and bringing the world of Panem to life. I’m less of a fan of the movies, of which there are now five. I have some thoughts about that to share, but I’ll save it for now.

In the movie series, Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, a young woman from Panem’s District 12, who volunteers to take her sister’s place in a fight to the death known as The Hunger Games against other young people in Panem for the Capitol’s entertainment. Katniss’s sacrifice and spirit is uplifting to the people of Panem, who grow more at odds with the Capitol over the course of the series. Lawrence is joined by

Before we start the ranking, you can also find the list of The Hunger Games movies in order along with where you can stream them.

• The Hunger Games (2012) 
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) 
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (2014) 
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 (2015) 
• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Nov. 17, 2023)

Earlier this year, all four of The Hunger Games movies were available to stream on Netflix, but that’s not the case anymore. Unfortunately, The Hunger Games movies are not available to stream on any subscription streaming service in September 2023. You can rent or buy The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockinghay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2 on SVOD services, including Amazon Video, AppleTV, and more.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premiered in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023. It’s still in theaters around the world to end 2023. Eventually, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be on Peacock.

5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Mahershala Ali, Elden Henson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland, Willow Shields, and Natalie Dormer

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 tells the story of the third book of the trilogy, Mockingjay. It premiered in theaters on Nov. 21, 2014. The film picks up immediately after the events of the second movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

After Katniss’s arrow breaks open the arena, the rebel forces are able to swoop in and save a number of Victors, but they are not able to save some others. Peeta, Annie (who was not in the arena), and Johanna are taken to the Capitol, while Katniss, Finnick, Plutarch Heavensby, and others are taken to District 13 to continue the war between District 13 and the Capitol.

The film then revolves around Katniss’s role in the revolution while the team also tries to find a way to save Peeta and the others who have been taken prisoner by President Snow.

Personally, I think they needed to work a little movie magic to make Mockingjay one movie. It could skip some plot points, speed things along, and do something to move this story forward. Splitting the book and story into two movies did neither movie any favors. There are some boring moments in both of those movies, and it was a disservice to the story to waste so much time. The format was changing after two movies set in the arena during Hunger Games competitions, and slowing everything down was a mistake.

Let’s keep it moving to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2.