Conclusion

The Hunger Games has been one of the most anticipated movies of 2012. It is a book-to-film adaptation of the popular young-adult novel by author Suzanne Collins.

Taking place post-apocalypse, North America has become the dystopia known as Panem, in which the land is divided into twelve impecunious districts encircling the Capital, a prosperous government location. In consequence of prior rebellion, the Capital commenced an event to be televised across the nation in which twenty-four contestants (one male and one female selected from the youth of each district in a drawing called “the reaping”) would compete in a battle-to-the-death until there is only one contestant left- the Victor.

The plot follows sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen of District 12, who volunteers as tribute after her younger sister, Prim, gets drawn at the reaping. Katniss and fellow male tribute, Peeta Mellark, travel to the Capital for training and guidance under the supervision of former victor, Haymitch Abernathy, and Capital worker, Effie Trinket.

On March 21, 2012, The Hunger Games premiered in France and other select countries, and internationally on March 23, 2012 in traditional theaters, as well as IMAX theaters. The film scored big at the box office with $152.5 million in earnings, which earned it the spot as the single best opening for a non-sequel and the third-best opening for any film in the North American continent, following 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, which earned roughly $169 million, and The Dark Knight, which earned roughly $158 million. The film received outstanding reviews by critics, and a rating of 7.6 on IMDB- ranking higher than any of the popular Twilight or Harry Potter films. The soundtrack for the film landed popular musicians and bands, such as Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, The Decemberists, Miranda Lambert, and Arcade Fire, and debuted in the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. The sequel, Catching Fire, is in pre-production and has been set for release on November 22, 2013.

Success; Reflection

         I was extremely happy to hear the multiple records set by The Hunger Games, if not only for the simple fact that it ground the Twilight films into the ground. The Hunger Games was so phenomenal. I went to see the film for a third time, three weeks after its release, and the theater was still about 75% full. That’s not something you see every day. As far as my personal review of the film, I was disappointed in some of the changes the producers made to the plot. There were several things I’d hoped to see in the movie, such as Katniss’ realization that the mutts were the souls of the other tributes in dogs’ bodies.  But I still loved the movie nonetheless, and I would recommend that everyone go see it. It is THAT great. As far as the partnerships go, I think it was all a good idea. I was antsy for the soundtrack, and was not disappointed at all. I bought a shirt with the Mockingjay symbol on it. And I plan to donate to the hunger relief program established by the companies.

Success; Part 3: Partnerships

                The Hunger Games producers at Lions Gate Entertainment created many partnerships in order to promote the film adaptation of the highly successful young-adult sci-fi/action/drama novel written by Suzanne Collins. Some of these include partnerships with Universal Republic, CaféPress, China Glaze, and World Food Programme / Feeding America.

                Lions Gate entertainment partnered up with Universal Republic Studios in order to produce the original soundtrack for the highly anticipated film.

 CaféPress and Lions Gate partnered in order to produce promotional gear for the film, such as apparel and accessories.

 Lions Gate and China Glaze formed a partnership to produce a promotional line of nail polish called “Capital Colours,” with the propaganda slogan “What will you be wearing to the opening ceremonies?” The promo ad features an image of Effie Trinket in her purple attire, with her chin tilted slightly right and to the side, with her eyes focused up and to the left.

Lions Gate and World Food Programme/Feeding America formed a partnership to feed the hungry, with this propaganda ad: “Teaming up against hunger: The Hunger Games movie, World Food Programme and Feeding America want you to join us in the fight against hunger. No matter where you live, hunger isn’t as far away as you might think – often, it is right around the corner. But by teaming up, we can build a better future for hungry children and families all over the world. Are you in?” (http://hungergames.wfp.org/)

Lions Gate has not only been highly successful at promoting it’s box-office blockbuster The Hunger Games, but has been working at contributing to a world-wide issue.

Success; Part 2: Reviews

                The film adaptation of The Hunger Games has received incredible reviews and ratings. The film seems to be well-loved and widely-accepted.

                Rolling Stone magazine journalist Peter Travers says, “Relax, you legions of Hunger Gamers. We have a winner. Hollywood didn't screw up the film version of Suzanne Collins' young-adult bestseller about a survival-of-the-fittest reality show that sends home all its teen contestants, save the victor, in body bags. The screen Hunger Games radiates a hot, jumpy energy that's irresistible. It has epic spectacle, yearning romance, suspense that won't quit and a shining star in Jennifer Lawrence, who gives us a female warrior worth cheering.” (Peter Travers, http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-hunger-games-20120321)

                Empire Magazine movie reviewer, Olly Richards says this about The Hunger Games: “As thrilling and smart as it is terrifying. There have been a number of big-gun literary series brought to screen over the past decade. This slays them all.” (Olly Richards, http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=136210)

                Movies.com reviewer, Dave White, has this to say about The Hunger Games: “What you will be served, though, is stern entertainment (save for Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci clowning it up) that never stops moving and keeps shoving you forward, where you'll find yourself both dragged along and compelled to keep watching even though you can spot a predictable resolution from a long distance. There are sequels on the way, of course, and those next installments absolutely necessitate Katniss's initial victory. Yet in spite of this fairly obvious outcome, Lawrence is a kind of millennial Wonder Woman with a major case of Serious-itis and a screen presence that demands you stay on her side. Director Gary Ross, meanwhile, is smart enough to get out of the way of the product he's selling and not try to get all fancy "interpreting" it. It's a tough balance to strike when so much is riding on birthing a franchise, but by the time the satisfyingly bold, next-chapter-generating cliffhanger comes along, insisting on a tone of distinct unease, you'll be hungry for more.” (Dave White, http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/hunger-games-review/dave-white/m67738)

                Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie a rating of 84%. The Internet Movie Database rates it a 7.6 stars out of 10, and Yahoo! Movies rates it 4.5 stars of 5.

Success; Part 1: At the Box-Office

            On February 22, 2012, the film set the record for first-day advanced ticket sales on Fandango, accounting for an estimated 83% of ticket sales on the website for the day. In the week prior to its release, the film sold-out over 4,000 on Fandango alone. On its opening day, the film brought in $67.3 million, ranking it the fifth-highest opening day for a film in history. Within its first two days of being released, the film became Lions Gate’s highest grossing film ever. It is the first film since Avatar to remain #1 in the box office for four consecutive weeks.

In its opening weekend, The Hunger Games brought in a record-breaking $152.5 million- making it the single best opening for a non-sequel film and the third-best opening for any film in the North American continent, following 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, which earned roughly $169 million, and The Dark Knight, which earned roughly $158 million.

                The Hunger Games also set the record for the most ticket sales via mobile devices on opening day. “My theory for these mobile records is simple. The main demographic for “The Hunger Games” is teens and twenty-somethings. Which demographic is the most likely to use mobile technology to accomplish tasks such as, oh I don’t know, purchasing movie tickets? Teens and twenty-somethings. Pair together a popular teen movie with mobile technology and you get an explosion in usage, but as we all know, over time this will become the norm.” (George Tinari, http://www.intomobile.com/2012/03/26/hunger-games-sets-record-mobile-movie-ticket-sales/)

Plot; Reflection

               Personally, I believe the plot for The Hunger Games is dynamic. The novels were definitely the best I’ve ever read. Being a huge fan of the books, I was tremendously excited for the film- I even went to the midnight premiere. It was so awe-inspiring that I could barely grasp what was going on, so I went to see it a second time. I took note of everything that happened and followed the plot with precision. Afterwards, I sat and pondered different aspects of the plot for hours- such as how it compares to the book and possible themes in the movie and novel alike.

  The producers did change some things from the plot of the book and even left some things out, but it was all to make the flow of the movie smooth. For instance, though I was a little disappointed that they changed the source of the Mockingjay pin, I acknowledge the fact that it adds to the power of the film’s plot by making Katniss the motivating force for the symbol’s meaning in the sequels, rather than just the girl wearing a pin she thought was “neat,” thus contributing to the feminist theme in the storyline. In my opinion, I do believe that the storyline has aspects contributing to all four themes of feminism, religion/spirituality, politics, and hope.

Plot; Part 3: Themes

The Hunger Games has many widely-accepted themes and interpretations, such as feminism, politics, and religion. “Maybe it’s a liberal story about inequality and the class divide. Maybe it’s a libertarian epic about the evils of authoritarian government. Maybe it’s a feminist revision on the sci-fi action blockbuster. Maybe it’s a bloody satire of reality television. There’s enough “relevance” here to power every cultural studies department in the country for a decade.” (Peter Suderman, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/21/movie-review-the-hunger-games-offers-a-feast-for-s/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS)

When it comes to the theme of politics, the evidence is very apparent- the whole plot of the film and novels alike is about the politics. The control the government has on the citizens, the rebellion, the war- it’s all about politics.

As far as the theme of feminism goes, The Hunger Games represents feminism entirely; not simply because Katniss is a female and the main character, but because the plot is that of an action film told from the perspective of a female. It is historically the first top-200 box-office blockbuster action film focusing primarily on a female heroine. Katniss’ character is also seen as defying gender role as a powerful feminist because she displays both masculine and feminine characteristics. She is one of the most intricate and powerful female characters in film in quite some time- she is an active character, and a strong female- physically and mentally- who is the driving-force of the storyline. “A post at The Hand Mirror blog pointed out the heroine's athleticism, strength, courageousness and prowess at hunting. Because these attributes are typically associated with men, Katniss Everdeen was shattering stereotypes about girls being helpless and passive in a way that could only be positive for the predominantly young-teen female audience.” (Shelley Bridgeman, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/shelley-bridgeman/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503061&objectid=10795244)

When it comes to the subject of whether or not The Hunger Games has a religious theme or not, it is a controversial issue- some viewers see The Hunger Games as a Christian parable while others do not. It is easy to understand why some would say it does have a religious context: Ktniss’ self-sacrifice for her younger sister, Prim. In the way that Jesus was sacrificed himself in compensation for our sins, Katniss sacrifices herself as tribute for the Games in place of her sister. Also, Peeta is seen as a “Christ figure” in that the events involving his character are similar to those of Christ- events of passion, death, and resurection. Peeta saves Katniss’ life by taking the blow intended for her from the start of the Games, is lef tfor dead, and then spends three days in a cave before emerging with a new take on life. One of the main Christian references within the story is the gift of the Bread of Life- in the film (and in novel as well), Peeta gives Katniss a loaf of bread when she is starving to death.

The film also incorporates the theme of hope- demonstrated by Prim’s desire for Katniss to win, as well as Katniss’ will to stay alive and return home to her family.