The Hunger Games (novel) added to the cast, in the roles of Peeta and Gale, respectively. Production began in late spring 2011 and the film was released on March 23, 2012. The film's opening weekend brought in a non-sequel record $152.5 million (USD) in North America. "", based on the second novel in the series, was released the following year on November 22, 2013. The Hunger Games (novel) The Hunger Games is a 2008 dystopian novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2013 and the highest-grossing entry in "The Hunger Games" series. The film was followed by "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay", a two-part sequel and finale of the franchise: "" was released on November 21, 2014, in the United States, and "" on November 20, 2015. "Catching Fire" received positive reviews and is widely considered by critics to be an improvement over its predecessor, with the sentiment being that it's "a more-confident, more-polished movie"; praise also goes to Lawrence's performance as Katniss. It's the most critically acclaimed chapter in "The Hunger Games" series, according to review aggregator