Quentin Tarantino Slams The Hunger Games For ‘Ripping Off’ Battle Royale

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This filmmaker isn’t only highly praised by critics, he’s also a true movie lover. Recently, he publicly criticized a film for heavily copying his favorite action movie.

Quentin Tarantino has openly discussed his feelings about a certain film. Released in 2000, it shares themes with The Hunger Games, like a bleak future and a government forcing teens to compete. Recently, on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino criticized the author of The Hunger Games for copying ideas from his movie.

Okay, let’s talk about The Hunger Games. I was catching up on some interviews with Quentin Tarantino, and he didn’t hold back about Suzanne Collins’ popular series. Apparently, he’s absolutely baffled that Koushun Takami, the author of the 1999 novel Battle Royale – which the 2000 film was based on – didn’t sue Collins. Tarantino feels The Hunger Games basically lifted the entire premise from Takami’s book, and he put it rather colorfully, saying it was a complete rip-off. He’s not wrong, you know – the similarities are pretty striking. It’s a bold statement, but it definitely sparks a conversation about inspiration versus outright copying.

He went on to say that book critics wouldn’t bother with a Japanese film like Battle Royale, so they never questioned its originality. Instead, they praised it as incredibly unique. However, when film critics actually saw the movie, they were shocked – essentially saying, ‘What is this?’ but in a way suitable for a wider audience.

I’ve always known Quentin Tarantino has amazing taste, and he’s a huge fan of Battle Royale! He’s talked about it being one of his all-time favorite movies more than once. What really blew me away, though, was when he cast Chiaki Kuriyama from Battle Royale – she was perfect as Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill: Volume 1! It showed how much he respected the original film and its cast.

In a recent interview with Far Out Magazine, Quentin Tarantino confessed he wished he’d directed the 2000 film Almost Famous. He said it’s the one movie made since he started filmmaking that he truly wishes he’d been involved with.

The Hunger Games Franchise Thrived

The movie adaptations of Suzanne Collins’ popular novels, produced by Lionsgate, earned a total of $3.3 billion worldwide. Between 2012 and 2015, the three books were turned into four films, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth, which collectively made $2.95 billion at the box office.

The original Hunger Games story concluded, but the franchise wasn’t over. In 2023, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was released as a prequel, taking place long before the events of the first films. It did well in theaters, and another spin-off movie is planned for release on November 20, 2026.

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2025-11-27 18:08