Here's How 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Ends

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Happy Hunger Games! ICYMI, The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes finally hits theaters this weekend on Nov. 17, 2023. The film is a prequel to the iconic Hunger Games trilogy, chronicling the life of Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) as a teenager—before he became President Snow of Panem.

The new movie builds the world of Panem in the years shortly following the first war that established the Hunger Games. In the film, Coriolanus Snow acts as a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games, and becomes a mentor for Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the female tribute for District 12.

President Snow's origin story provides a lot of context for what the brutal competition eventually becomes when Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) first compete in the 74th annual Hunger Games in the original hit trilogy.

And since it's a prequel story, a lot of fans are curious if the new film will have an end-credits scene. Below, here's everything to know about the film's ending.

Does Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes have an end credit scene?

Nope! The new Hunger Games movie does not include an end-credits scene. This aligns fairly accurately with the original films from the series—as they didn't have post-credit scenes, either. They did, however, usually end with some kind of cliffhanger (sans the last Mockingjay film, which ends with a time jump).

Unfortunately, Suzanne Collins also hasn't published anything else in the Hunger Games canon since releasing The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes novel in 2020—so there's not really anything to tease quite yet in terms of follow-ups to the newest film.

How does Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes end?

The purpose of the new Hunger Games prequel is to explain why President Snow is so, um, evil, and how the Hunger Games became such fanfare. In the final moments of the prequel movie, Snow begins his path toward becoming president of Panem by performing his first of many trademark poisonings.

In Mockingjay Part I, the character Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) explains that President Snow was known for poisoning his allies—which, ICYDK, is why he became so powerful, and why he was always coughing up blood in the later films. In the final scene of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Snow poisons Dean Highbottom (Peter Dinklage)—his first victim.

"[Highbottom's murder] is pretty darn vengeful, but I also think it's just ruthless, which is 'this guy wants to stop me and I will not let anybody stop me now that I am on my way.'" Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson told PEOPLE.

The very final moment of the film is a closeup of young President Snow with a voiceover of the original President Snow (Donald Sutherland) from Mockingjay Part I. He says, "It's the things we love most that destroy us," which also just happens to be exactly what his character told Katniss just before the rebels rescued Peeta in the third original franchise film. (Peeta later tried to kill Katniss.)

What happens to Lucy Gray Baird at the end of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes?

Lucy Gray kinda mysteriously vanishes in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and that's intentional! The audience is, unfortunately, not given a definitive answer to her fate in the book or the film, per PEOPLE. Lucy Gray's ending is supposed to be up for interpretation, but Jacobson told PEOPLE she believes the character lives.

"I 100% believe that she's a survivor," the producer told PEOPLE. "She's clever. She knows the woods. I think she knows how to take care of herself. And I would love to find out. I hope I'll get to find out someday."

What is the order of all the Hunger Games films?

If you leave the theater wanting more, you can always follow up the newest film by rewatching the older Hunger Games films. While the story of Katniss Everdeen was written first, it does come after the events depicted in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. In fact, the new film's story takes place roughly 64 years before the original Hunger Games. Here's how to watch the films in chronological order:

• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) Buy Tickets

• The Hunger Games (2012) Watch Now

• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)Watch Now

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I (2014)Watch Now

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II (2015) Watch Now

You can currently stream the original Hunger Games trilogy on Peacock.

And if you're hoping to score last-minute tickets to The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, may the odds be ever in your favor!

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A 'Hunger Games' Prequel

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

Mockingjay

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