New The Hunger Games prequel movie The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is set for release globally on Nov. 17th, 2023. Set approximately 64 years before the hit original feature that came out a decade ago, the new film follows a young Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland, now played by Tom Blyth), future President of Panem.
Set during the early years of the Hunger Games tournaments, Snow is tasked with mentoring Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a musician and tribute from District 12 chosen to represent the region at the 10th annual Hunger Games. Baird is somewhat of a mythos in the original Hunger Games trilogy, as her legacy and symbolism to District 12, while only referenced by name, is shrouded in mystery. As the antagonist of the Hunger Games trilogy, Snow’s transformation from a mentor of a District 12 competitor to being hellbent on its destruction plays a major role in the story audiences are familiar with. Like the film trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is based on the novel of the same name by author Suzanne Collins.
How long is The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes?
According to IMDb, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes boasts a runtime of 2 hours and 4 minutes, or 165 minutes. When accounting for trailers, that’s a three-hour outing at the movies. The new movie is part of an ever-growing trend of blockbusters, particularly action-based blockbusters, that have been steadily growing in runtime length in recent years.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the longest Hunger Games film so far. The Hunger Games (2012) has a length of 2 hours and 22 minutes, while its sequel, Catching Fire (2013) is 2 hours and 26 minutes. The final two films, Mockingjay parts 1 and 2, released in 2014 and 2015, clock in at 2 hours and 3 minutes and 2 hours and 17 minutes, respectively.
So far, no announcement regarding a sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has been made, and would likely depend on the success of the upcoming release. While a prequel film, this movie may be designed to be more of a standalone piece in comparison to The Hunger Games trilogy, which was split into four films. This may explain the longer runtime, as the story of the new film is probably much more self-contained, relying less on a guaranteed sequel or cinematic universe to continue its storytelling.
