Hunger Games has been one of the most beloved dystopian fantasy novels for a long time. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen has set the bar too high for Hunger Games movies. So, naturally, fans had high expectations when the prequel movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was announced.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Image via Vox)

It was already shrouded in controversy, as the Hunger Games prequel had cast Rachel Zegler in the role of Lucy Gray Baird. Now this character is supposed to be equivalent to Katniss in terms of importance, and many did not take it kindly that Rachel Zegler, whom many magazines and tabloids dubbed as Hollywood’s most hated celebrity, will be playing the role.

The movie was anticipated to be a failure. However, recent reports have emerged that the movie is anything but that. In fact, it has been doing rather well at the box office. 

How is The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes doing at the box office?

According to a report by The Hollywood Handle, The Hunger Games prequel actually managed to cross $120 million at the box office worldwide. The movie was made on a budget of $100 million. Also, considering the movie just released on November 17 and still has a long way to go, this is quite an impressive feat. So, although it had the lowest start in the franchise, it is definitely building itself up slowly.

Also Read: The Hunger Games Prequel Dominates the Box Office While The Marvel Breaks Another Awful Record in MCU History

Zoe Guy from Vulture reported that although many would see this movie as, what he termed, a “snoozefest,” there are many who found this movie to be:

“The most satisfying entry in the entire franchise.”

David Ehrlich from IndieWire termed it the best young adult dystopian film and said:


“[It is] the rare prequel that manages to stand on its own two feet and still feel taller than the other stories it’s ultimately meant to support.” 

Also Read: Jennifer Lawrence Reveals Her Future in New Hunger Games Movies

So, while its performance at the box office is slow, it has quite good reviews from critics. 

Why does the audience seem to hate the Hunger Games prequel actress Rachel Zegler so much?

Rachel Zegler gave an amazing performance in the Hunger Games prequel. However, despite her success in the Hunger Games franchise, she still remains one of the most hated celebrities in Hollywood. Her bad luck started with Disney’s Snow White and her infamous comment on Variety’s Actor on Actor, “It is not 1937,” implying that the new Snow White would not be a traditional patriarchal model but a much more feminist idol.

This ruffled the feathers of many hardcore Disney fans who already did not like the fact that Snow White was going to be played by someone of Latin descent. They found Zegler arrogant and created a barrage of hate online for every story that was put out about her at the time.

Rachel Zegler
Rachel Zegler (Image via. Deadline)

However, this could still have been forgotten, like a bad PR nightmare, but her comments during the SAG-AFTRA strike spiked the hatred of the audience even more. She went on to say:

“If I’m gonna stand there 18 hours a day in the dress of an iconic Disney Princess. I deserve to be paid for every hour that it’s streamed online.”

This “18 hours a day in the dress” comment did not sit well with many who thought of Rachel Zegler as arrogant and privileged. Many took to the platform TikTok, and one TikTok specifically with 2.6 million views pointed out that there are actors who do stunts that “risk their lives.” So, compared to that, standing in a lavish Disney princess dress does not seem to be the end of the world.

Rachel Zegler
Rachel Zegler (image via. NBC News)

However, many sympathized with Rachel Zegler. Since her Disney days, she has been facing racist backlash since Snow White’s character is a white character, and she is not. This hate is actually a lot comparable to what Halle Bailey went through when she became the first black Ariel in Disney. Even during SAG-AFTRA, she later went into more depth about her infamous comment and went on to highlight her own privilege compared to the other cast and crew.

Also Read: Rachel Zegler’s Snow White Movie Reportedly Has a Skyrocketing Budget, May Even Beat James Gunn’s The Flash

So, while she might say some things impulsively without a care to be correct as per Hollywood PR standards, all of this hate against her does seem unnecessary to many.

The Hunger Games prequel is out in theatres for anyone to go and enjoy.

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