The Hunger Games' two-part ending should have warned this other YA franchise not to split its final film

The Hunger Games' two-part finale proved to be a divisive decision, and should have warned another popular young adult franchise that splitting its final film was a bad idea. The Hunger Games films are overwhelmingly considered a success, and both Thrush installments grossed hundreds of millions at the box office. Even so, the choice to divide the adaptation of Thrush in two parts was one that was met with criticism, and Thrush - Part 1 suffered as a result.

Unfortunately, The Hunger Games is far from the only franchise to split its final film in two - and some aren't even waiting until the last film to try this approach. Given the complaints about Thrush, One would think that other dystopian YA series of the 2010s would have treaded carefully. However, the Divergent series tried the same strategy when adapting Loyal. It didn't work in the final film's favor, suggesting the franchise should have paid more attention Thrushresponse.

Mockingjay: Part 1's Problems Proved a Two-Part Finale Wasn't a Good Idea

The first part of the Hunger Games finale was anticlimactic and poorly paced

The Hunger Games dividing his final film into two parts created problems for Thrush - Part 1, as the first part of the film had pacing problems. THE Thrush The book had a standard structure, with the action increasing as the narrative progressed, then peaking with the story's resolution. Unfortunately, Suzanne Collins' source material was not meant to be consumed half-heartedly. Thrush - Part 1 The book lacked much of the enthusiasm of the book, as it dragged the story along and saved many of the most interesting parts for Part 2.

In addition to more climactic scenes taking place in Thrush - Part 2, Katniss and Peeta also didn't interact much in the first half of the finale. This made it more difficult to get through, as did the fact that much of the first installment saw Katniss maneuvering the politics of District 13. Even the iconic "If we burn"The monologue couldn't keep it from feeling like a slog, especially when the Games-style romance bit didn't happen until Thrush - Part 2. This left the previous film feeling more set up than anything else.

Divergent splitting the final book into two films doomed the franchise

Ascendant was never actually made, leaving the series unfinished

Thrush Part 1narrative problems did not prevent Part 2 from being made, nor did it prevent other franchises from following the same configuration. Unfortunately for the Divergent series, followed in the footsteps of the previous dystopian franchise - but with more devastating results. The decision to split the final book, Loyal, in two parts resulted in the story never receiving a conclusion. Ascending was later canceled Loyal had mediocre returns at the box office. And although there were initially discussions about continuing the story on TV, it never happened.

Given the popularity of Veronica Roth's books, this was disappointing for those who were excited to see Tris and Four's entire story brought to the screen. AND Loyal could have learned from The Hunger Games, as the third film suffered many of the same problems as Thrush - Part 1. Another adaptation that was not made to be divided into two, Loyal had a slow start and lack of action throughout its run. THE Divergent the series was obviously saving the most exciting developments for last, but because it split the final book in two, that conclusion never happened.

Two-Part Movies Are Too Risky and Hollywood Keeps Proving It

This approach is difficult to implement

If The Hunger Games and Divergent series proves anything, is that it is difficult for Hollywood to make films in two parts. Of course, that hasn't stopped studios from trying. Several recent films have been split into two parts, including 2023 Fast X, Through the Spider-Verse, Horizon, and Rebel Moon (which aims to be even more than two parts). This has varying degrees of success. While a film like Through the Spider-Verse creates excitement with its ending, it's still risky to leave the audience in suspense for years. It is possible that they will lose interest during this period.

In the case of films like Horizon or Rebel MoonIt's even riskier since they're not sequels. The first two films proved to be somewhat underwhelming, which raises questions about whether viewers will even check out their follow-ups. That's why it's often better to tell a complete story with one film, rather than dragging it out in hopes of greater returns. Although the two-part method works occasionally − Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame being an example - requires the right approach. Most of the time, these projects end up as The Hunger Games' end instead.