Justin Sayers

@_JustinSayers

Welcome home, Katniss Everdeen.

Frazier History Museum on Tuesday announced that an exhibit of the "The Hunger Games" movie franchise, which starred Louisville's Jennifer Lawrence, is coming April 1 through Sept. 10. Louisville is the fourth stop on the exhibit's tour, following New York City, San Francisco and Sydney.

The interactive exhibit, dubbed "The Hunger Games: The Exhibition," features more than 1,000 authentic costumes and props, high-tech and hands-on interactives, and detailed set recreations of Panem, the fictional world created in the films. Tickets are on sale, with individual admission starting at $26 and a four-ticket group pack starting at $90.

"We are beyond excited. ... Getting this amazing exhibit is so huge for our city and our region," said Karen Lawrence, Jennifer's mother, at the museum on Tuesday.

Karen Lawrence, along with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and other museum and exhibit officials, made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, praising the exhibit as another way to boost the city's tourism industry.

In 2012, the franchise exploded with "The Hunger Games" $152.5 million opening weekend ($408 million total), and the fire grew with 2013's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" ($158 million opening, $424 million total).

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"What we're here to share with you today is a really unique opportunity for Louisville that's going to help bring even more people to our great city and right here to the Frazier," Fischer said, adding that Louisville had 24 million tourism visitors last year.

The exhibit begins in District 12, Everdeen's fictional hometown in the Hunger Games series, and follows her through her journey to The Capitol. Highlights include iconic costumes, including the "Girl on Fire" dress; artifacts, including the Mockingjay pin; and interactives, including a game maker's control table.

"The Hunger Games: The Exhibition" was created by Lionsgate, a California-based entertainment and media company, and Imagine Exhibitions, an Atlanta-based manufacturer of exhibitions and attractions.

"We can say with sincerity that this exhibition is our prize jewel," said Bryan Harris, vice president of marketing for Imagine Exhibitions. "It's a very empowering story -- one that we were very delighted to help move from the screen to this incredibly immersive experience."

Karen Lawrence said she made an "important phone call" to get the exhibit to the family's hometown and then Frazier "did the rest." She said that Jennifer is extremely excited about the exhibit coming to Louisville.

When asked if Jennifer is coming to see it, Karen said we'll just have to "wait and see."

Andy Treinen, director of marketing for the Frazier History Museum, also said that the museum is still on track to open its bourbon experience tour in Fall 2018. The project, which is being done in conjunction with the Kentucky Distillers' Association, is aimed at making the museum the Louisville start of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

"We're hopeful that the (Hunger Game exhibit) will be the most successful exhibit that Frazier History Museum will ever have," Treinen said.

Reporter Justin Sayers can be reached at jsayers@gannett.com or 502-582-4252.

How to buy Tickets?

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.TheHungerGamesExhibition.com or www.FrazierMuseum.org.