Pre-launch › World-building & partnerships · 04 Jul 2026 · T−139
'Meet Haymitch' released on Reaping Day, his birthday
In the book, the reaping falls on Haymitch's birthday, 4 July. Lionsgate used the date for a featurette with Zada, Lawrence, Jacobson and the cast.
Why it matters
Using a date from the book made a US holiday into an in-world anniversary.
AnalysisDetails
- Date
- 04 Jul 2026 · T−139
- Phase
- Pre-launch › World-building & partnerships
- Category
- Social (owned)
- Markets
- United States, Global
- Led by
- Studio-led
- Partners
- Joseph Zada
- Channels
- YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Sources 2
- The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (2026) 'Meet Haymitch' – Joseph ZadaThe Hunger Games (YouTube) · 04 Jul 2026 · youtube.com · PrimaryVerifies: Meet Haymitch featurette published 4 July 2026, a collaboration with Lionsgate Movies
- 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' Promo Introduces Young HaymitchDeadline · 04 Jul 2026 · deadline.com · SecondaryVerifies: Meet Haymitch promo released on 4 July, Haymitch's birthday and Reaping Day
More from world-building & partnerships
18 Mar 2025 T−612
Book launch with a global reading campaign run with Lionsgate
On publication day Collins read from chapter one on the Hunger Games Books channels in partnership with Lionsgate, and influencers read the same passage in their own languages. Scholastic registered more than 1,000 launch events and sent 2,500 event kits. Waterstones held 110 midnight parties in the UK.
USUKGLOBALReported
Scholastic
Week of 14 Sep 2026 T−67
Capitol propaganda posters: "Peace is preserved, not promised"
Unbranded posters and banners of a Peacekeeper against a rising sun appeared in New York, London, Los Angeles and Mexico City, including a banner over the New York Stock Exchange. LED trucks carried the image around Philadelphia. The small print credits "the Capitol".
USUKMXReported
Studio-led · In-universe artifact / ARG · Landmark takeover
Lionsgate has not been quoted on the placements. A social post embedded by Creative Bloq also lists Washington, NATO headquarters in Belgium and Thailand; those sites are not verified.
18 Sep 2026 T−63
Hand-painted Capitol murals in Cardiff, Hackney and Edinburgh
The UK leg of the propaganda campaign used painted walls rather than printed banners. The Cardiff mural shows a Peacekeeper, a volcano and pink birds from the book.
UKReported
Studio-led · In-universe artifact / ARG