Following the movie announcement of a prequel to “The Hunger Games” saga, the series experienced a sudden revival in popularity, or in other words, a resurgence. Throughout the first few months of 2023, “The Hunger Games” has been trending on all social media platforms, leaving fans questioning if Collins has any more upcoming surprises up her sleeve.

“I’m loving the recent popularity,” sophomore Theresa Ingraham said. “It’s nice to see that the books and movies weren’t just a ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ sort of situation, and that they’re really transcending their initial popularity from the release date and surviving through the years.”

As the series came to a satisfying end, most assumed it was over. With three complete books alongside their movie counterparts, “The Hunger Games” sat as a complete series. However, Collins pleasantly surprised readers in May 2020 with the release of a prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”

Readers were quick to run to the bookstore, immediately popularizing the novel. This left no choice but for producers to give in and put together another movie—releasing the teaser during June 2022. The movie, set to release in November 2023, will feature “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler as Lucy, “Euphoria” star Hunter Shafer as Tigris, and the multimovie star Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul.

This novel delves deeper into an earlier time, many decades before the rebellion in the main novels. Readers see the 10th annual games from the outside through the eyes of young President Snow as he mentors a girl by the name of Lucy. The book, considering it takes place much earlier, differs vastly from the original series in terms of action and plot. However, the writing is just as phenomenal and takes the reader for just as entertaining of an adventure as readers grow a larger comprehension of Snow’s character. Fans can expect that the film will follow a similar storyline.

The film adaptations of the original books brought the story to life with what is possibly the best book to movie adaptation of all time. Featuring stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth, fans’ expectations were anything but low, and the first movie clearly did not disappoint—racking in an outstanding $1.1 billion, according to WordsRated. With the movies being so successful, we can expect the prequel’s film to bring in an impressive revenue as well.

But since the series is already so successful, what if the new movie doesn’t live up to fans’ expectations?

“I liked getting to see President Snow from a different perspective, but I think the first three books were so good that any other additions just wouldn’t be able to measure up,” sophomore Ella Scheinler said. “I liked it, but I don’t think it was as good as the original trilogy. I will definitely be seeing the new movie, and I’m trying not to judge it before giving it a chance.”

Though many fans were hoping to see an appearance of Lawrence and other cast members from the original series, none of the actors will be featured in the new movie since it takes place decades prior.

Whether or not the movie announcement and awaiting release of the prequel plays a role in this—or if the revival of the widespread popularity is simply a coincidence—is up in the air for interpretation. But as November draws closer, all we can do is wait to find out what’s to come for the exceptional dystopian series.