The Hunger Games By the time the film adaptation of "The Hunger Games" was released in 2012, the publisher had reported over 26 million "Hunger Games" trilogy books in print, including movie tie-in books. "The Hunger Games" universe is a dystopia set in Panem, a country consisting of the wealthy Capitol and 12 districts in varying states of poverty. Every year, children from the districts are selected to participate in a compulsory televised battle royale death match called The Hunger Games. The novels were all well received. In August 2012, the series ranked second, exceeded only by the "Harry Potter" series in NPR's
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 film's leisurely pace and noted it felt "like a manufactured product through and through, ironic and sad given its revolutionary theme." Richard Corliss of "Time" felt the film was a placeholder for the second installment and noted "Lawrence isn't given much opportunity to do anything spectacularly right here." On July 10, 2012, Lionsgate announced that the second part of the "Mockingjay" adaptation was set for a release on November 20, 2015. Francis Lawrence announced that he would return to direct the final part as well. It is the fourth and final film in the "Hunger Games" series. The Hunger Games: