The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a 2013 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn, based on the 2009 novel Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. The sequel to The Hunger Games (2012), it is the second installment in The Hunger Games film series. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the Games inspire uprisings in Panem.
Lionsgate announced a sequel film based on Collins' second Hunger Games novel in 2012, with Gary Ross initially set to return as director; Ross was replaced with Lawrence that May, while deBruyn completed several rewrites to Beaufoy's screenplay. The main cast was confirmed by September 2012 and principal photography began later that month, lasting until March 2013. Filming locations included Georgia, Hawaii, and New Jersey.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on November 11, 2013, and was released in the United States on November 22, by Lionsgate. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Lawrence's performance, its themes, action sequences, musical score, screenplay, visual effects, and emotional depth; it is considered the best film in the series. It grossed $865 million, setting the then-records for biggest November opening weekend and the biggest Thanksgiving period box-office totals; it is the highest-grossing Lionsgate and The Hunger Games film, the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2013, and the highest-grossing film featuring a female lead since The Exorcist (1973).
Among its accolades, the film was nominated for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Action Film and a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film. For her performance, Lawrence was nominated for the Empire Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, and Saturn Award for Best Actress. The soundtrack's lead single, "Atlas" by Coldplay, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media and for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
The film was followed by The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 in 2014.
Plot
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have settled into a life of material comfort and emotional unease back in District 12 following their joint victory in the 74th Hunger Games. While they enjoy material comfort, Katniss is haunted by trauma from the Games and remains emotionally distant from Peeta. President Snow visits Katniss and informs her that her actions in the Games have ignited uprisings in Panem. He demands that she and Peeta maintain a facade of love during the Victory Tour to quell the rebellion, threatening the lives of District 12 residents otherwise.
As the Victory Tour begins, Katniss and Peeta's speeches only spark a deadly response from the Capitol, leading to further unrest across the districts. To maintain the charade, Katniss and Peeta announce their engagement and attempt to convince the Capitol of their love. However, President Snow remains unconvinced. Katniss also meets the enigmatic new head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee.
Upon returning home, Katniss witnesses the brutal actions of the Capitol's Peacekeepers, who are suppressing the population. Gale is publicly whipped after trying to stop them from killing civilians; leading to a confrontation that results in Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch's involvement. President Snow sees the victors as a threat and plots to eliminate them.
The 75th Hunger Games, known as the Quarter Quell, is announced, and previous victors are selected as tributes. On Reaping Day, Haymitch's name is drawn, but Peeta immediately volunteers to take his place. For her pre-Games interview, Katniss wears a wedding dress, as ordered by Snow, but her stylist Cinna sets it to transform into a symbol of a mockingjay. Peeta lies during his interview, claiming he and Katniss are married and expecting a child, further inciting protests. Before entering the arena, Katniss witnesses the beating of her stylist, Cinna, for his role in altering her dress.
In the Games, Katniss and Peeta ally themselves with District 4 tributes, Finnick Odair and his elderly mentor Mags, facing various challenges, including poisonous fog which Mags sacrifices herself so that Finnick can help Peeta, and mutant creatures such as mandrills.