Are We Really Hungry for The Hunger Games?

What would any of us do if we didn’t have a teen-book-turned-movie-franchise to drool over to kick off the start of the holiday season? Cry? Whine? It’s a good thing we’ll probably never know. The second installment of The Hunger Games franchise, Catching Fire, hits theaters this Friday, and even though there’s plenty of hype surrounding the sequel, I can’t help but wonder, are we really hungry for the newest addition to The Hunger Games films, or is it the idea of being a fan of the popular thing in media that we’re really excited about?

Now I’ve read the books, that’s when my true lust affair began with Suzanne Collins’ series, and when I heard that a movie for the first novel was coming out…I simply went crazy. Granted, it was around high school when this occurred, yet I still noticed that there is just something more special about seeing the action and romance play out on the big screen with familiar faces, opposed to in my mind through a book. Now it’s the second time around, and I hate to say it, but I’m having mixed feelings. Yes, I know what is going to happen in upcoming films, and yes I still will pay, and gasp, and cry to see it all play out on the big screen, but why must this be a recurring theme with popular book-movie franchises with me? What makes this prolonged viewing so popular for people when everyone has had the opportunity to take in what will happen?

I’m no expert when it comes to analyzing the statistical feedback of certain popular films and books in pop culture, but I would bet money that this unquestionable hype has something to do with the feeling of excitement that everyone gets for a single outlet. We go online or watch television and see these crowds of people producing tears toward these actors and actresses, and then we find out that these fans have read all of the books and have seen the first film over 100 times. Is this passion really true, and what does it say about the appreciation of the true story created, opposed to the hype that comes along with being a fan of a popular film and book?

I know I’m asking a lot questions, but I would really love to know what the readers think of this wishy-washy interaction that comes from these franchises. Are we truly hungry, or are we over-stuffing our already full stomachs?