Key Points
- Lionsgate's Hunger Games prequel will stream in 3D on Meta's VR glasses after its theatrical run.
- It is the first time Meta has converted a Hollywood studio film into 3D.
- The deal puts an AI-aggressive studio in business with a tech giant Hollywood recently fought.
The latest:
Meta is converting The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping into 3D for its theatrical release and will carry the film on its VR glasses afterward, Deadline reported. It is the first time the Mark Zuckerberg-led company has partnered with a Hollywood studio on a 3D conversion. The Francis Lawrence-directed prequel opens in cinemas November 20.
Details:
- The conversion: Deadline reported that the 3D conversion was completed with DNEG, the Oscar-winning visual effects and animation house. Meta has not previously done a conversion deal of this kind with a Hollywood studio, making the Lionsgate tie-up the first of its type for the company.
- The timing gap: Sunrise on the Reaping reaches theaters November 20, but the Meta VR Glasses version arrives only when the device debuts in spring 2027, according to Deadline. That leaves a months-long window between the theatrical 3D release and the headset rollout.
- Box office outlook: The prequel is expected to take in 60 million to 70 million dollars in its North American opening, per Deadline, positioning it as Lionsgate’s anticipated Thanksgiving-corridor blockbuster.
- The hardware: Meta unveiled the glasses at Meta Connect 2026. Deadline reported specifications including a 5K Infinite Display, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos spatial audio and Imax Enhanced certification, with each pair weighing roughly 100 grams.
- More titles coming: Lionsgate plans additional feature titles for Meta VR Glasses, but neither company has named those films or set availability dates. Deadline reported that the slate and timing will be announced later.
- No AI component: Deadline noted that nothing in the Hunger Games collaboration involves artificial intelligence, even though both partners have moved aggressively into the field separately.
- Meta’s AI push: Meta launched its personal AI agent, Meta Muse, in September. Over the summer the company drew backlash from Hollywood studios, and from CAA specifically, over Meta Image AI, a social-media feature that generated AI photos of a person from a public Instagram handle.
- Lionsgate’s AI record: Lionsgate partnered with AI research firm Runway two years ago to generate video from its intellectual property, with Runway training a new model intended to augment the studio’s filmmakers. In June, Lionsgate took an equity stake in Runway for an AI-generated short-form series.
- Also: Deadline reported the partnership on November 2, 2026.
Background:
Lionsgate has been the least guarded major studio on AI while rivals moved cautiously. The Hunger Games franchise remains its largest theatrical asset, and Sunrise on the Reaping is the latest prequel in the series directed by Francis Lawrence.
Between the lines:
The deal reads as a hardware play rather than an AI one. Meta needs premium content for glasses that do not ship until spring 2027, and a tentpole franchise supplies it. For Lionsgate, which already took equity in Runway and licensed its library for AI video, a 3D distribution window costs nothing in rights it values and extends a title’s life months past its theatrical run.
What’s next
Sunrise on the Reaping opens November 20 against a projected 60 million to 70 million dollar North American debut. Watch for Lionsgate and Meta to name the additional titles headed to the glasses, and for the device’s spring 2027 launch.
