What is The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes age rating and why

Turns out watching teenagers being killed can be a bit disturbing.

Image credit: Lionsgate

Guide by Trent Cannon Contributor

Published on Nov. 16, 2023

Its time to go back to Panem for The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The film is due out in cinemas tomorrow, but you’ll want to check in on its rating before you shoot off with your young one to see it. Just like the previous films in the series, this one is a bit more grown-up than you might expect.

Ahead of its November 2023 release, the MPAA, which issues age ratings for every film you see in US cinemas, has rated The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a PG-13 rating. This is due to a combination of “Strong Violent Content” and “Disturbing Material” throughout the film. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise to fans returning to the series, as it is the same rating that every film in the franchise has earned so far.

Considering the subject matter of The Hunger Games, which is a group of teenagers being sent to their deaths for the amusement of the uncaring masses, a PG-13 rating is probably justified. Even if it downplays most of the gore that occurs during the games, the entire premise is built off kids dying in brutal ways live on TV for all to see. It's disturbing, but that is largely the point of the story.

Of course, a PG-13 age rating puts the latest Hunger Games in some surprising company, with the Barbie movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s getting the same mark from the MPAA. Remember that PG-13 doesn’t mean that it is an adult movie – it just means that parents should be aware of what their pre-teen children are watching.