The Hunger Games returns to theaters this October (but not for long)

Before audiences have the chance to see the rise of Panem courtesy of the upcoming The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, they’ll be able to revisit the corrupt empire in its prime (and its decline), with the news that Lionsgate and Fathom Events are teaming to bring the original Hunger Games movie back to theaters for two nights only next month.

For just two days — Sunday October 15, and Wednesday, October 18… not consecutive days, it’s worth noting — the original 2012 movie that made a star out of Jennifer Lawrence will return to theaters, with tickets already available for pre-order via the Fathom Events website, which also has a list of all participating theaters for the re-release. Sure, you could watch the movie — and its three follow-ups, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 — from the comfort of your own home, but there’s something about the communal experience of Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) in great pain that just adds to the experience of the whole thing.

In a statement about the re-release, said Lionsgate’s president of domestic distribution Kevin Grayson said, “There’s no better way to whet the appetite for The Hunger Games prequel than with the original Hunger Games. We’re thrilled to be teaming with Fathom Events to give fans the opportunity to see The Hunger Games in theaters once again.”

All of this is in service of the mid-November release of The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, but if we’re lucky, maybe tickets for The Hunger Games re-release will sell so well, we’ll get the entire series back in theaters before the prequel comes out. We can dream…

In case you’ve forgotten, the new trailer for The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes wants to remind you that the Hunger Games are bad, actually.