The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is headed to STARZ soon

The Hunger Games fan, are you ready to get the backstory of President Snow? The tyrant is certainly an interesting character, and his harshness is quite a mystery. How could anyone be that cruel? Well, we’re most likely getting the answer in the prequel movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was released on Nov. 17, 2023.

The good news for fans is that The Hunger Games prequel film will soon begin streaming exclusively on STARZ, starting on May 14, 2024.

The movie takes place 65 years before Katniss Everdeen is thrown into the games. An 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is tasked with mentoring a tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), for the 10th annual Hunger Games, per the synopsis. Along the way, she charms not only Panem, but Coriolanus himself as well. A romance develops between the two, but it seems like something goes horribly wrong because we know the kind of man he eventually becomes.

If you were hoping the dystopian action-adventure was streaming on Netflix, unfortunately it is not. At the moment, the movie is only available to watch exclusively in theaters. That means you’ll need to head on over to your local cinema, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show if you really can’t wait and want to check out the film right now!

After its theatrical run, the Hunger Games prequel won’t be streaming on Netflix in the future either. That’s because a different streamer came to a deal with the project’s production company, Lionsgate. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will eventually stream on Peacock.

When is The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes coming to Peacock?

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will likely stream on Peacock sometime in 2024, but it won't be until after the exclusivity window for STARZ closes.

That’s because back in 2022, Collider shared that the two companies came to a multiyear agreement where “all Lionsgate feature length releases will become available to stream on the NBCUniversal platform beginning in 2024.” And so Peacock will become the streaming home for the majority of the company’s productions. And even before The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes made its debut, it was already on the list of eventual additions to Peacock!

This is really great news and actually works out. That’s because the four previous films in the franchise —The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay – Part 1, and Mockingjay – Part 2 — are all currently streaming on Peacock. With the addition of the prequel, the whole franchise will be under one roof so to speak. And I can tell you as a fan, that’s definitely a plus in my book and makes the viewing experience so much more convenient.

Other movies set to stream on Peacock next year are John Wick: Chapter 4, Expendables 4, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, per the news outlet. Right now, the latter two are streaming on Starz, which Lionsgate owns. It’s unclear whether the films will stream on both Starz and Peacock, or be removed from the Outlander-streamer. We’ll have to wait and see! It is possible both will share distribution rights, the way Netflix and Max will be sharing Young Sheldon.

How to watch on Peacock

Peacock has two plans to choose from, Premium with ads or Premium Plus without ads. The first runs for $5.99/month, while the no ads subscription option costs $11.99/month. Here are the steps to sign up for an account below:

• Visit the Peacock sign up page
• Select Premium or Premium Plus subscription
• Create an account by entering a username and password
• Enter your chosen payment method
• Login to access content