Hunger Games show in San Francisco gives close look at movie props

After “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2” was released in November, fans of the tales of Katniss Everdeen were left feeling real “Hunger” pains. There’s a new way to feed their interest in the form of a new exhibition that opened here Feb. 13.

“The Hunger Games: The Exhibition,” which originally opened in New York, has made its West Coast debut at the Historic Palace of Fine Arts Exhibition Hall that sits in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. It will run through at least July.

Willow Shields, who spent years immersed in the world of “The Hunger Games” as Primrose Everdeen, younger sister of the central hero Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), and Elden Henson, who played Pollux, were on hand for the opening. Shields was excited about looking back at the actual costumes used in movie.

“When I was a kid, I was astounded by seeing all of the work that went into the costumes,” Shields, 15, says during an interview at the exhibition. “I think it’s really cool to be able to see all of the detail that went into them.”

Jenefer Brown, Lionsgate Senior Vice President of Location Based Entertainment says San Francisco was selected to host the show because it is known for one-of-a-kind cultural events.

The exhibit needs 15,000 square feet to hold the 46 costumes, more than 1,000 props, 16 scenic vignettes and seven galleries devoted to the four movies. Visitors start in District 12 and wind their way through displays that cover the tale of Katniss Everdeen.

The films and books have created a huge number of fans. The “Hunger Games” has been translated into 51 languages and the four movies have generated almost $3 billion in ticket sales around the world.

Work on putting the exhibition together started before the final movies were filmed. In some cases props and costumes that had already been prepared for the exhibit had to be removed, used in additional filming and then returned.

Wardrobe pieces in the exhibit include the Girl on Fire dress, the wedding dress that turns into the Mockingjay dress, and the Mockingjay armor. Costumes worn by Katniss, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) wore on the Victory Tour are included. Shields is particularly fond of the wild costume Elizabeth Banks wore portraying Effie Trinket.

There are also five digital and 10 analog interactive stations scattered throughout the show. Those are one of Henson’s favorite parts.

“There’s this one interactive where you can cut together your own propoganda film,” Henson says.

The exhibition areas include District 12, the Tribute Train, the Capitol, Making the Games, District 13, Katniss’s Journey and a Fan Gallery.

Almost everything on display was used in the making of the movies. Justin Yu, manager of Location Based Entertainment with Lionsgate, says a few items had to be re-created. One such item is a white rose lapel pen that President Snow wore. The original was an actual family heirloom provided by actor Donald Sutherland, who played Snow.

“Also, no one was going to tell Lenny Kravitz he couldn’t take his shoes home so the ones in the exhibit are a reproduction,” Yu says.

The exhibition includes props ranging from weapons to china to the Mockingjay pin work by Katniss. Yu says that there are enough props still in storage that the exhibit could have been twice the size and still not show everything. It takes a minimum of 45 minutes to see all of the displays. The average time spent by fans in New York was been between 90 minutes and two hours.

Because the exhibit features so many iconic pieces from the movie, Henson hopes fans will experience the movie in a different way and feel like they are a part of the world.

Shield agrees: “I think it is such a fun experience. To go in there and immerse yourself in it. Learn more that you didn’t know about the books or the films is really exciting,” Shields says. “I think the fans will like that whole hands on experience.”

If you can’t make it to San Francisco, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” will be available on Digital HD on March 8 and on Blu-Ray on March 22. Also available for the first time as a set on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD, “The Hunger Games Complete 4-Film Collection” includes “The Hunger Games,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Hunger Games show in San Francisco gives close look at movie props."