'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Movie Hits Theaters Tomorrow With Odd Roster of Partnerships

The sequel to “The Hunger Game” movie series is upon us. After more than a year of unrelenting yearning, “Catching Fire” hits theaters tomorrow. Katniss Everdeen returns to defend her title, represent District 12 and spawn a rebellion against the evil Capitol.

But “Catching Fire” offers much more than shooting arrows, stunning heroines and murderous villains. After the monster success of the first “Hunger Games” film, companies of all breeds lined up to get their products into the sequel. Lionsgate waded through offers meticulously and remained selective in the product tie-ins that it chose, arranging only a small handful of deal with food, fashion and digital companies, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Experts say that the studio was wise to remain selective because devotees to the book would feel betrayed if there were too many partnerships that failed to resonate with the message of the books. Lionsgate also had to be wary of promoting various products through the fictional Capitol, as it represented oppression and misguided morals.

Little seemed to match well. When the studio announced that “Catching Fire” would partner with Subway, fans felt uncomfortable and confused with the matchup. An ad for “Fiery Footlongs,” a special promotional sandwich series made for the film, featured “Catching Fire” footage of Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, fighting against all odds to save herself and the people she loved. Needless to say, it was an odd pairing.

“Different people are going to have different points of view,” said Tony Pace, Subway’s CMA, “but our comment is that we have a big charitable dimension of what we’re doing.”

Subway is also giving away one million meals through Feeding America, a promotion tied to its deal with “Catching Fire.” They even included a promotional sweepstakes with codes found on Subway cups and bags of chips that give customers a chance to win thousands of different prizes.

In addition to Subway, Lionsgate partnered with Covergirl, who created Panem-inspired mascara, lip gloss, nail polish, eye shadow and nail decals. It also paired with Net-a-Porter to create an entire Capitol Couture line, a collection of 16 pieces designed by the franchise’s costume designer. In terms of digital space, the studio struck a deal with Internet Explorer to create The Hunger Games Explorer, which featured photos, blogs, tweets and updates on the film’s cast and crew.

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” hits theaters Nov. 22.