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 (film) sold, the DVD was the best-selling DVD of 2012. A sequel, "", was released on November 22, 2013, in the United States. "The Hunger Games" received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its themes and messages, as well as Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss, though there was criticism of the film's use of shaky cam, especially in the action sequences. Like the novel, the film has been noted for its similarities to other works, including the Japanese novel "Battle Royale" and its film adaptation, Robert Sheckley's short story "Seventh Victim" and its Italian film adaptation "The 10th Victim", and