When The Hunger Games was a huge hit, Hollywood began looking for the next big thing, and they finally found it 11 years ago. Unlike Harry Potter, which was a young adult series about magic, The Hunger Games was a franchise about a dystopian future where young people are the only possible saviors. It proved to be a mᴀssive hit.
Based on the novels by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games takes place in a world where the government demands that people fight to the death for the public to watch on television as a sign of power. It is similar to the movie Battle Royale, but it was more of a young adult action-adventure franchise that enthralled fans.
While the book world was looking for the next Hunger Games, Hollywood was waiting to see which they could pick up that could achieve the same success. The two best options were the Divergent series and Maze Runner, and it was the latter that ended up as the next Hunger Games.
The Maze Runner Was The Best Of The Various Hunger Games Clones
The Maze Runner turned 11 years old on September 19, 2025, and it was the closest that Hollywood came to finding a Hunger Games clone. The movies were based on the young adult novels by James Dashner. Just like The Hunger Games, this was a series in a dystopian world where youngsters are put in ᴅᴇᴀᴅly situations.
Instead of fighting to the death, they were placed in a giant open space, and then they learn there might be a way out through a maze. However, if they don’t get through the maze in time, they die. The first Maze Runner saw them in the maze, the second had them searching for answers, and the third was a rescue mission.
There have been a total of eight Maze Runner novels, but the movies tell the story of the first three, which were released from 2009 to 2011. The films were released from 2014 to 2018, and although they didn’t continue after that, the story from the movies was mostly complete, offering a nice beginning, middle, and end.
The cast was solid, with Dylan O’Brien in the lead, and the box office was great, making $949 million on a total budget of $157 million. The first film received mixed to positive reviews, while the sequels didn’t impress critics. Despite that, it entertained fans of the books and was the closest Hollywood came to The Hunger Games.
Honestly, Divergent should have been the proper Hunger Games clone since it was much closer to the series when it comes to government control and a fascist dystopian future. However, the Divergent movie series disappointed fans because it ended without finishing the story, with the final film canceled.
The Maze Runner Still Paled In Comparison To The Hunger Games
While The Maze Runner was the closest that Hollywood came to bringing a Hunger Games-style story to theaters and finding success, it still didn’t match up to the original movie series. The franchise fell short in box office totals, critical reviews, and most importantly, its legacy.
The Hunger Games was a monster hit when it was released in theaters, and there was no way a copycat franchise could have matched its success. The second Hunger Games movie made almost as much as all three Maze Runner films, and the franchise made a total of $2.9 billion for the first four movies alone.
While critical reviews were lukewarm for The Maze Runner releases, the first Hunger Games was certified fresh at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the sequel hit 90% fresh. Ignoring the prequel that hit theaters in 2023, the lowest rated of the first four movies was still 70%.
Finally, there is the fact that Hollywood returned with a Hunger Games prequel in 2023, and it has another on the way. The legacy of that franchise is so great that fans are still clamoring for more. There are still five more Maze Runner books to adapt, and nothing is in the works right now.
The Future Could Be Bright For The Maze Runner
While there is no new Maze Runner movie in the works, star Dylan O’Brien said that he would take on the role if it were brought to him. It has been 11 years since the first installment and seven years since the last one was released, but there is still a chance to see more from the franchise.
There were also rumblings recently about Disney rebooting the franchise, and that could be a huge hit. Percy Jackson was set up to possibly be the next Harry Potter, and it failed miserably thanks to changes made to the story from the books to the screen. However, Disney rebooted it as a streaming series, and it was a big success.
There is no word on whether The Maze Runner could be coming as a rebooted movie series, a streaming series like Percy Jackson, or even with a new sequel to the original series. However, there is still a large fanbase, and 11 years after the first movie was released, fan clamoring will only get louder.
The Maze Runner
- Created by
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James Dashner
- First Film
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The Maze Runner
- Cast
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Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Patricia Clarkson, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Ki Hong Lee, Barry Pepper, Walton Goggins, Nathalie Emmanuel
- Movie(s)
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The Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
- Character(s)
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Thomas (Maze Runner), Teresa (Maze Runner), Newt (Maze Runner), Minho (Maze Runner), Frypan (Maze Runner), Ava Paige
