10 Movies like The Hunger Games: If we’re talking about modern film franchises that have achieved “iconic” status, you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a more appropriate candidate than The Hunger Games franchise. Based on the bestselling books by Suzanne Collins, the series is one of the most bankable IPs in Hollywood today; it’s actually one of the highest-grossing film properties of all time. That’s a pretty impressive feat when you consider that the entire saga is made up of just five films released over a period of eleven years (as of 2024).
It all started with The Hunger Games, which came out in 2012 and is the only movie in the series directed by Gary Ross. The director might not have stuck around the franchise for long, but he certainly left a mark. His film introduced Panem and, more importantly, Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen to the world. In 2013, filmmaker Francis Lawrence took over directorial duties, helming every Hunger Games movie we’ve seen after the first one. That includes Catching Fire, Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2, and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
All in all, the films have grossed over three billion dollars worldwide, but why are they so popular? Well, for one, the movies are responsible for giving Jennifer Lawrence her breakout role – introducing one of the biggest movie stars of the modern era is nothing to sneeze at. Beyond that, however, The Hunger Games is also one of the most well-realized sci-fi dystopias ever committed to screen. In their depiction of the conflict between The Capitol and the districts, the films capture the pain of oppression and the fury of revolution brilliantly, leading to an ending that is anything but black and white.
In this article, we’ll be recommending ten films that you should see if you’re done watching The Hunger Games series and are looking for movies that have the same spirit. Whether you’re looking for strong female characters, dystopian sci-fi settings, or hardcore survival narratives, we’ve got you covered. Read on for a rundown of ten movies that’ll help you get over your Hunger Games withdrawal.
1. Battle Royale (2000)
Let’s kick things off with a movie that you’ll probably have heard referenced in the context of The Hunger Games: Battle Royale. No, we’re not talking about Fortnite, we’re talking about the 2000 Japanese action film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, and Beat Takeshi. This film has been championed by none other than Quentin Tarantino – the director of Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, and Kill Bill. Fukasaku’s film is one of Tarantino’s favorite films of the 21st century, and he’s famously said that he wishes he could have directed the movie himself. Not only that, the director has actually said that The Hunger Games rips off Battle Royale.
What makes him say that? Well, the premise of both films is quite similar. In Battle Royale, a totalitarian government in Japan forces a group of high school students to fight to death on a remote island. This annual event is organized to curb juvenile delinquency. As you can probably tell, there are a lot of similarities between this and the plot of The Hunger Games. That said, the Japanese film definitely contains a lot more violence than anything you would expect to see in a mainstream Hollywood film (which is probably a big part of why Tarantino loves it so much). So if you’re up for watching a gorier, more Japanese spin on the premise of The Hunger Games, Battle Royale should be on your watch list!
2. The Menu (2022)
Mark Mylod’s The Menu was one of the breakout hits of 2022, and it’s easy to see why. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and Ralph Fiennes, it revolves around a group of rich elites who visit a remote island to take part in a new restaurant experience headed by world-famous chef Julian Slowik (Fiennes). Things start off promisingly but go downhill once the guests realize that Slowik has some unconventional ideas about what constitutes a good culinary experience.
The Menu is a satirical (and violent) movie, which is one of the things it has in common with The Hunger Games. One of the best things about Panem is how well it captures the decadent phoniness of the rich – some of the best scenes from the film revolve around the ridiculously evil ways of The Capitol. The Hunger Games has a very satirical edge to it (just think about the scenes with Caesar Flickerman). At its core, the series is about class conflict, and that’s exactly the kind of thematic territory The Menu covers (fittingly, it’s helmed by one of the directors of Succession).
What’s more, the film gives Anya Taylor-Joy one of her most memorable starring roles as Margot, a young woman who feels out of place on the private island where the story takes place. With a great cast and memorable setpieces, The Menu is a fun thriller that balances violence and satire just as well as The Hunger Games.
3. Children of Men (2006)
If you’re looking for more dystopian sci-fi and you haven’t seen 2006’s Children of Men, you’re in for a treat. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (the man behind Gravity and Roma), this film is one of the best dystopian movies ever made. Set in the year 2027, Children of Men is set in a world where humans have become infertile due to a global pandemic. Political and social instability is on the rise, and war is tearing countries apart. Theo, a disillusioned bureaucrat, is enlisted by a secret organization that is attempting to resist the police state in control of the UK. They tell him they’ve found a woman who is pregnant and seeking to escape the country, and he decides to help them.
Children of Men features a dystopian reality that’s just as well-realized as anything in The Hunger Games, but it’s also one of the most formally thrilling sci-fi films ever made. Cuaron is known for his brilliant filmmaking, and he collaborates with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki on this film, crafting some of the best single-shot action sequences ever made. This is a very dark movie, but it’s also thrilling and suspenseful, and ultimately about the pursuit of hope in a world where hope is hard to come by.
4. Infinity Pool (2023)
This is where our list starts leaning into horror. Infinity Pool is the second film written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, who is the son of renowned filmmaker David Cronenberg. The Cronenberg family is known for its fondness for body horror (David has directed classics like The Fly and Videodrome, whereas Brandon’s debut was the super-violent Possessor), and this film is no different. Starring Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård, Infinity Pool follows a couple on a vacation in the fictional country of Li Tolqa. As they get to know their fellow vacationers, the couple realize that sinister things are afoot in and around the hotel they’re all staying at.
I’d rather not describe the plot any more than that, but suffice it to say that Infinity Pool gets intense with a sci-fi twist that you’ll definitely not see coming. The movie is a brilliant depiction of upper-class privilege taken to a horrifying extreme and doesn’t pull any punches. Like The Hunger Games, it shows the viewer what happens when unchecked power is given to the wrong kind of people. And with a truly deranged central performance by Mia Goth, it’s got more than enough style to make its point. Fair warning, though: this movie gets pretty existential once things get going.
5. Ready or Not (2019)
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Ready or Not is another darkly satirical depiction of class conflict that feels fresh and is well-realized. The film stars Samara Weaving as Grace, a young woman who’s marrying into the wealthy and eccentric le Domas family. Grace (played brilliantly by Weaving) grew up in foster care and is, hence, completely bewildered by the weirdness of the family she’s marrying into. Little does she know that the night before her wedding is going to take a gruesome turn. As it turns out, the le Domas family has more than a few grisly secrets to share with her.
As a comedy, Ready or Not is pretty fun, but it really shines as a survival action flick, as Grace is forced to fend against a gauntlet of terrible obstacles during the single night over which the film is set. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett went on to direct two Scream films after making Ready or Not, and it’s clear why they got that job: they’ve got a handle on both dark satire and satisfying violence. What’s more, the entire film resolves with a bang that you definitely won’t see coming – it’s a very unexpected turn that feels earned. So, if you’re looking for a take on class conflict that’s less dramatic and a bit more cathartic than The Hunger Games, look no further than Ready or Not.
Also Read: 20 Indian Murder Mystery Movies That Keep The Viewers Hooked
6. Bacurau (2019)
It’s pretty easy to read The Hunger Games as a political allegory for colonialism, perhaps even an indictment of US foreign policy. If you appreciated that thematic throughline of the films, then maybe give this one a try. The second film in this list that’s not in the English language, Bacurau is a Brazilian action thriller directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles. It starts out quite slow, as the matriarch of the titular Brazilian town dies, and the townspeople are left reeling by a series of strange events (including mysterious murders and UFO sightings).
As the mystery of what’s happening to Bacurau is unraveled, it becomes clear that this film is a dark and potent political allegory that makes room for stylish action set pieces along the way. The film won the Jury Prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and it’s pretty easy to see why: it balances politics, humor, action, and tragedy with aplomb. The performances are terrific, too, with Udo Kier, in particular, doing a lot with limited screen time. Like The Hunger Games, it’s a story about resistance, and once you’ve seen it, it’ll be pretty hard to forget, especially after the brilliant catharsis of the final scene.
7. Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Speaking of films that won at Cannes, Triangle of Sadness won the top prize there (i.e., the Palme d’Or) in 2022. Directed by Ruben Östlund, the story covers almost exactly the same ground as The Hunger Games but in the most arthouse way imaginable. The story follows models Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), a celebrity couple who go on a luxury cruise for the ultra-rich. As the story develops, the people on the cruise, including the guests and the crew, find themselves on a seemingly secluded island and have to fend for themselves in the wild. As social mores dissolve and things become more primal, the characters find themselves having to adapt in bizarre, unexpected ways.
The film is divided into three sections, each set in a different location and exploring a new facet of the main couple’s relationship. Östlund is a gifted satirist, and this movie captures the ridiculous nature of elite society wonderfully, exploring how fragile the whole system really is. Featuring some terrific performances by Dickinson, Dean, and Dolly de Leon (who plays a housekeeper on the ship), Triangle of Sadness works on multiple levels and has a little bit of everything: drama, comedy, and tragedy. It’ll keep you hooked until the very final frame, which leaves the viewer in a thought-provoking moment of ambiguity.
8. Snowpiercer (2013)
This film has to be one of the most out-there sci-fi films of the 21st century. Directed by Bong Joon-ho (the filmmaker behind the global phenomenon that was Parasite), Snowpiercer is a sci-fi film that explores class division quite literally. The premise is pretty baffling: in a post-apocalyptic future, a new ice age has engulfed the world in a deadly snowstorm. The last of humanity has taken refuge in a train that never stops moving, and social classes are divided laterally across the train. The wealthy live in luxury near the front, and the poor working class lives in squalor at the back.
If you want to think of it in Hunger Games terms, imagine the world of Panem spread out across a train, with The Capitol near the front and District 12 near the back. But there’s a lot more to Snowpiercer than just a heavy-handed metaphor for class warfare. Bong is known for his remarkable grip on tone and this film has all of his trademarks on display. The film follows Curtis (Chris Evans), a man who leads a revolution from the tail end of the train – like Katniss, Curtis encounters the world of the elite for the first time and is appalled by what he sees. It’s exciting, thrilling, funny, and horrifying all at once – exactly like a Bong Joon-ho film always is.
9. Mortal Engines (2018)
The Hunger Games has its roots in Young Adult fiction, and so does Mortal Engines, which is based on a novel by author Philip Reeve. Directed by Christian Rivers, with a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame), this is by far the most YA-feeling movie on this list. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the film has an earnest energy that’s quite endearing. Mortal Engines is a sci-fi fantasy hybrid set in a post-apocalyptic world where cities are giant mobile vehicles that battle each other for resources. It’s a lot more wild than The Hunger Games but it’s got a lot of heart.
The story follows Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), a young woman attempting to get revenge for the death of her mother. She joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) as the two uncover a conspiracy that threatens to change the world of Mortal Engines forever. This film was received very poorly by the critical community upon release, but it’s quite an underrated fantasy adventure. The battle sequences are imaginative and novel, and the score by Tom Holkenberg is especially terrific. It’s worth a watch if you can bear some plodding exposition (and that’s not too much to ask).
10. The Maze Runner (2014)
Like countless other YA adaptations that followed the success of The Hunger Games, Wes Ball’s The Maze Runner was based on a bestselling series for teens (in this case, the books by author James Dashner). A dystopian sci-fi film, this is the first in a trilogy of movies that follows the story of a group of boys who find themselves in the middle of a massive, ever-changing maze with no memory of how they ended up there. It’s an intriguing mystery that’s slowly unraveled over the course of the trilogy. Like The Hunger Games, the story here is about survival, unity, and the resilience of the human spirit.
What’s fun about this series is that each film is better than the last. Ball made his debut with the first Maze Runner, and he’s gotten better and better at his craft with each new film. The story is intense, the performances are strong (particularly those of Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Kaya Scodelario), and the direction gets better and better with each film. If you’re up for another YA-inspired film that crafts a compelling and thought-provoking dystopia, be sure to give The Maze Runner a shot!
