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Movie · Sci-fi, Action, Thriller · 2013 · PG-13

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: parents' guide

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some frightening images, thematic elements, a suggestive situation and language.

A darker, more political sequel for teens who liked the first film. Katniss is sent back into the arena with past winners, and the violence widens to state brutality: an old man is shot at point-blank range, a friend is whipped bloody, and tributes die from poison fog, monkey attacks and blades. Language steps up with bleeped f-words and an s-word, a woman strips in an elevator (seen from behind), and heavy drinking and painkiller addiction run through the story. Katniss also shows clear signs of trauma. Best for 13 and up.

What's in it

Violence

Moderate

Peacekeepers shoot an elderly man in the head (the blood mostly kept out of frame), whip Gale until his back is torn open, and beat a stylist. In the arena, tributes are stabbed, killed with an ax, shot with arrows and blistered by poison fog.

Language

Moderate

Johanna's televised tirade includes bleeped f-words (two, by one count), Haymitch says the s-word once, and there are one or two each of "son of a bitch," "damn" and "hell," plus about six uses of God's name as an exclamation.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Johanna strips in an elevator, shown bare from behind and implied fully nude. Katniss kisses both Gale and Peeta, the two share a bed only to calm nightmares, and Peeta falsely claims she is pregnant. Revealing gowns.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Moderate

Haymitch is drunk much of the time, and 17-year-old Katniss drinks with him. Former victors called Morphlings are addicted to painkillers, Gale is given morphine after his whipping, and party guests drink a purgative so they can keep eating.

Scary or intense scenes

Moderate

Katniss has nightmares and flashbacks from the first Games. Poison fog, blood raining from the sky, a lightning-struck tree and a pack of mutant monkeys keep the arena tense, and an elderly tribute deliberately walks into the fog so others can escape.

Sensitive topics

  • Suicide

Worth talking about

Katniss becomes a symbol of rebellion without meaning to. What responsibility comes with being someone other people look up to?

Where to stream →

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.