TVI Kids · Context Brief · Not Yet Scored
Is Sunrise on the Reaping OK for Kids?The PG-13 Rating, What It Names, and What to Ask Before It Opens
A parent guide to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping before it opens: what the rating says, how it compares with the earlier films, and the story it tells.
Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH
Accountable editor · Built on the published TVI methodology; editorial guidance, not individualized advice
Accountable editor · Built on the published TVI methodology; editorial guidance, not individualized advice
Not yet scored. TVI has not completed its scored review of this title, and we do not guess at numbers. This page is what a careful reviewer can tell parents today. The full scored review follows when it is ready, and this page upgrades in place when it does.
Official Trailer 2. Lionsgate. Embedded from the official channel.
The short version: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is rated PG-13 by the MPA for strong violence, bloody images, disturbing material, some smoking and teen drinking. It is the first film in the series cited for bloody images and teen drinking. It opens November 20, 2026, and runs about two hours and 38 minutes. We have not seen or scored it yet, and we do not guess at numbers, so this page is what a careful reviewer can tell you today.
What the PG-13 rating actually says
- The MPA's rationale is strong violence, bloody images, disturbing material, some smoking and teen drinking. Every earlier Hunger Games film was also PG-13, but the wording has changed: the 2012 film was rated for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images, all involving teens, and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) for strong violent content and disturbing material.
- In the United Kingdom the BBFC rated it 12A for moderate violence, injury detail, threat and upsetting scenes.
The story, and why it is heavier than it sounds
- The film adapts Suzanne Collins's 2025 novel. It is set 24 years before The Hunger Games, at the fiftieth Games, the Second Quarter Quell, when twice as many tributes are taken. It follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, the mentor older viewers know from the first films, played here by Joseph Zada.
- As in every Hunger Games story, children and teenagers are forced to fight to the death. The publisher recommends the book for ages 12 and up. The rating's new terms, bloody images and teen drinking, are worth noting for parents of younger fans of the earlier films.
What we can say now, and what we cannot yet
- What we can say: the official ratings and what they name, the story the book and studio describe, the runtime, and how this film's rating compares with the series.
- What we cannot say yet: how graphic the violence is on screen, an age-fit band, or a TVI Score. Those come from watching and judging the film, and we will not assert what we have not seen.
- This page upgrades in place when our scored review is ready.
Ask before you decide
Three questions do most of the work before you decide.
- Has your child read the book or seen the earlier films? A child who knows how the Games work knows what is coming; one who does not may be surprised by how central the deaths of young people are.
- How does your child handle long, tense films? At about two hours and 38 minutes, it is the longest film in the series.
- Is your child drawn to Haymitch from the earlier films? It can help to talk about how the story explains who he became, which is also why it is a sadder story than its title suggests.
Common questions
- Is Sunrise on the Reaping OK for kids?
- The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is rated PG-13 for strong violence, bloody images, disturbing material, some smoking and teen drinking, and the BBFC rated it 12A. TVI has not seen or scored it yet, so we will not put a number or an age band on it today. It opens in US theaters on November 20, 2026.
- Why is Sunrise on the Reaping rated PG-13?
- The MPA rated The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping PG-13 for strong violence, bloody images, disturbing material, some smoking and teen drinking.
- How long is Sunrise on the Reaping?
- About 158 minutes, according to the BBFC, which makes it the longest film in the series.
- When does Sunrise on the Reaping come out?
- It opens in US theaters on Friday, November 20, 2026, with early screenings in premium formats on Wednesday, November 18. Lionsgate announced that tickets go on sale October 28.
- What is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping's age rating?
- Officially, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is rated PG-13 under the MPA film rating system, the official G, PG, PG-13 scale. TVI does not issue ratings. Our age-fit guidance, which is a different thing, arrives with the full scored review. What a careful reviewer can responsibly say today is on this page. The official rating is an industry classification; our guidance is a developmental read of who the title actually serves.
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