With its unique combination of thrilling adventure, futuristic lifestyles and incomparable romance, The Hunger Games trapped millions of individuals in its compelling plot. Following the years of Harry Potter hype from worldwide fantasy lovers, The Hunger Games series ushered in a whole new era of literary obsessed fanatics.
The Hunger Games takes a unique spin on fantasy by incorporating science fiction into its plot line. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America previously existed. The book narrates the complex societal and governmental aspects and thrilling adventures of a futuristic world through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen as she is made to fight to the death against other selected youth in the annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games traces the power of human relationships, corrupted government and deceitful human nature to encompass many aspects of society in its enticing plot, a combination that appealed to many of its readers.
Junior Kristi MacEachern said that she was drawn into the varied aspects of the story: “It’s action packed and has underlying love stories. It is very exciting to read.”
Written by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games’ success skyrocketed since its publication in September 2008 with over 23.5 million copies sold in the United States, a number that escalated upon the announcement for the plans of a Hunger Games movie. With this news, veteran and newly joined fans of the series alike created an overwhelming wave of Games obsession. Accordingly, many members of the Scituate High School joined the story’s bandwagon, and a Hunger Games fever spread throughout the school.
The appeal of The Hunger Games is undeniable as it penetrated popular culture with its combination of romance and adventure. News on the movie’s production worked to only heighten this excitement as fans of the series were introduced to a cast of Hollywood faces to pair with their imaginations of the story. Sophomore and loyal Hunger Games fan Fiona Martin, while flipping through a Hunger Games movie book, said she loved the story’s intensity. “It pulls you in and you can’t let go,” she said.
On the Mar. 23 movie premiere, The Hunger Games broke box office records, raking in over $68 million in ticket sales on its first day in series. As the first movie to this popular book series, The Hunger Games set the record for the most tickets sold for a midnight premiere of a non-sequel movie. With millions of fans investing their time and money into this beloved series, The Hunger Games franchise and movie producers were under immense pressure to deliver a stunning movie experience.
In the minutes leading up to its showing, devoted Hunger Games fans were hard to miss as many showed their devotion by dressing up as their favorite characters and holding up their homemade posters. After two hours and 22 minutes of the largely anticipated movie, Hunger Games fans had a lot to say about the premiere. Although die hard fans were worried about the book details that might be left out leading up to the release, Sophomore Jenna Baker was not disappointed after attending the movie’s midnight premiere and said “The movie lived up to the hype surrounding it. The details that the movie left out were not too important.” Senior Stephanie Curry was not as convinced that the book lived up to the movie. “I didn’t feel the same emotional connection that I felt when reading the books,” she said. “Parts in the movie were a lot less dramatic than how they were in the books.”
The Hunger Games excitement became a force in social media, showcasing the power of the series’ influence. Reaching record highs in its recent debut, this franchise is only expected to grow as plans for the sequel are already underway. It has become obvious the hunger for The Hunger Games will not fade quickly.