Summary

  • The Hunger Games franchise played a significant role in popularizing the battle royale genre in contemporary media, paving the way for similar films.
  • Battle Royale, released in 2000, shares a similar concept with The Hunger Games, as both feature characters forced to fight to the death.
  • A Battle Royale remake may fare better than the original due to the surge in popularity of the dystopian battle-to-the-death genre and the potential for a larger budget.

The Hunger Games is an immensely popular series, and it bears a striking resemblance to a 2000 Japanese action-thriller movie that would make a strong candidate for a modern remake. The Hunger Games started as a 2008 young adult dystopian novel written by Suzanne Collins. The 2012 film adaptation follows Katniss Everdeen as she fights for survival against 23 other tributes from 12 districts. Although The Hunger Games franchise didn't start the battle royale genre in the 21st century, it undeniably catapulted its popularity.

At its core, a battle royale story typically features characters forced to kill one another until a lone survivor remains. The characters must scavenge for weapons and resources to improve their chances. The Hunger Games movie franchise played a pivotal role in popularizing this genre, paving the way for the creation of films and shows like Ready or Not (2019), The Hunt (2020), and Squid Game (2021). Nevertheless, another movie delivered the same concept as The Hunger Games in 2000 — and it'd likely fare better with modern audiences.

Battle Royale Had The Same Concept As The Hunger Games In 2000

Middle schoolers with explosive collars around their necks in Battle Royale.

The 2000 action-thriller Battle Royale is an adaptation of the 1999 novel of the same name by Koushun Takami, and it came out nine years before the first The Hanger Games book. These two stories share numerous similarities. In Battle Royale, the Japanese government enacts a law to combat juvenile delinquency, randomly selecting a middle school class to partake in the annual Battle Royale. This mirrors the annual Hunger Games, where 24 tributes between the ages of 12 to 18 are chosen to fight to the death. Notably, both films end with multiple survivors defying the original intent behind the tournaments.

Both narratives carry political undertones, with The Hunger Games focusing on the elite's oppression of the lower class, while Battle Royale revolves around a generational conflict. The biggest difference between the two stories lies in their portrayal of the battle royale aspect. While The Hunger Games has brutal deaths, the true horror of children murdering each other is somewhat understated, with a greater emphasis on character relationships and world-building. Battle Royale holds nothing back, offering a gritter and more gruesome portrayal of the reality within the tournament. While The Hunger Games franchise achieved massive popularity in pop culture, it's undeniable that the film Battle Royale established the template for the fight-to-the-death narrative.

Why A Battle Royale Remake Might Fare Better Than The Original

Shuya and Noriko look off in the distance while holding backpacks in Battle Royale. 

In 2000, when Battle Royale was initially released, it stirred up a significant amount of controversy. Battle Royale was one of the first well-known movies that depicted children fighting to the death, with the threat of having their heads explode if they refused to participate. The film has graphic and intense scenes, including bloody corpses, gruesome injuries like a missing eye, and brutal violence such as a knife to the forehead. These elements make Battle Royale an explicit and violent cinematic experience.

Since the release of Battle Royale, dystopian battle-to-the-death movies have seen a surge in popularity, making the film an ideal candidate for a remake. Current films within this genre often benefit from substantial budgets, which enable the development of the fictional worlds in which the characters live. Battle Royale was made on a comparatively modest budget of $4.5 million (via IMDb), as opposed to The Hunger Games' $78 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). With a greater interest in the genre from the success of The Hunger Games and the potential for a larger budget, Battle Royale could become a compelling remake.

Source: IMDb, Box Office Mojo