An election night broadcast left viewers confused when President Snow of The Hunger Games appeared to take over CNN’s coverage of the US midterms.
The clip, which has since gone viral, showed Snow delivering a chilling propaganda message from the fictional nation of Panem, as if the country’s government had taken over American airwaves on Tuesday night. Many viewers took to social media looking for answers.
The words “Break the Machine” appeared on screen throughout, along with a countdown.
Was it real?
No. The interruption was a promotional stunt for the upcoming film The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and Snow is played by actor Ralph Fiennes. According to GamesRadar, the in-universe ad also appeared during Fox News’ coverage of the midterms.
The footage was designed to look like an official broadcast, mimicking the authoritarian announcements familiar to fans of the franchise. The film’s title and release date were shown at the very end.
The placement made it look as though a real broadcast had interrupted live coverage, which echoes the way propaganda is used to control the population in Panem.
How did people react?
Clips of the stunt spread quickly online. “Airing a Hunger Games trailer in the middle of election night coverage is some bold ad placement,” one viewer wrote.
Another person wrote, “this is very ominous” but the majority appreciated the cleverness of the ad, with one person writing, “Wait!!! This is so brilliant!!! They ate that!”
What is Sunrise on the Reaping about?
The film is based on Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name and is set 24 years before the original story, before Katniss Everdeen enters the arena. It follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, who is selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. It also explores Snow’s rise to power.
Fiennes plays Snow, a role played in the original films by the late Donald Sutherland. Woody Harrelson, who played Haymitch in the earlier movies, also returns.
It seems a lot of people are excited for the movie. Follow us if you like to keep yourself up to date with all the latest news coming out on Hollywood.
Read more:
