An Inside Look at Cosmopolitan x Lionsgate’s ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Screening

There’s no doubt that The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is one of the buzziest movie releases of the year. The beloved franchise, which has produced more than 100 million book sales and $3.3 billion in box office, now returns with a prequel film set 24 years before the trilogy world we all know and love. Its stars? None other than Cosmo’s very own cover girls: Mckenna Grace (playing Maysilee Donner), Whitney Peak (playing Lenore Dove Baird), and Maya Hawke (playing Wiress).Naturally, we couldn’t wait nine more days to watch it. Last night, on Tuesday, November 11, Cosmo and Lionsgate collabbed to host early screenings of the film at AMC theaters (one in L.A. and one in NYC) for some of our favorite creators, friends, and film lovers to attend. But we at Cosmo always want our readers to be part of the fun (and the thrill of logging a movie on Letterboxd before anyone else, obviously). So, to give back some of the love our winter covers received, we decided to invite a handful of ‘Hunger Games’ fans who responded to our callout on IG. Because if there is one thing Mckenna Grace taught us, it is to fangirl loud and proud—you never know what luck it might bring!An hour before the screening began, our guests, including Levi Sebree, Summer McKeen, Grant Gibbs, and Halle Burns, began shuffling into the theatre in their comfiest movie-going outfits, as requested by our dress code. Then, before we knew it, it was time to grab our popcorn, slide into our seats, and enjoy.While we have sworn not to spoil anything, just know if you haven’t already gotten your tickets to see SOTR—it’s worth it. A one-line review I overheard while the ending credits rolled? “Oh, I was sobbing” (and they literally were).Zusha GoldinZusha Goldin