The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return to District 12 after surviving the Hunger Games, but their victory changes everything. They try to pick up a normal life, yet their public romance and defiant acts have sparked unrest across Panem. The Capitol pushes them back into the spotlight, shaping their image while officials try to stamp out dissent. As tension rises in the districts, a new, more dangerous twist to the Games is announced, one meant to intimidate and entertain. Alliances shift and loyalties are tested as Katniss and her allies weigh personal survival against the larger consequences of becoming symbols of resistance.

Released in 2013, Catching Fire was directed by Francis Lawrence, with Michael Arndt and Simon Beaufoy among the writers adapting Suzanne Collins' bestselling novel for the screen, and it brought back much of the original principal cast.

The film proved a major commercial success worldwide, confirming the franchise's blockbuster status and ensuring continued studio backing and audience interest for the following installments.

Catching Fire pushed several images from the story into wider culture, most notably elevating the mockingjay as an emblem of resistance. Its visual moments, costume choices and public protest sequences inspired fan art, cosplay and commentary about spectacle and politics.

Critics and audiences responded positively, reflected in a user vote average of 7.429 out of 10. Reviewers highlighted Jennifer Lawrence's performance and the movie's darker turn, noting its focus on media manipulation, trauma, moral ambiguity and the politics of power, themes that deepened the series' stakes and tone.