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Lionsgate is apparently mulling a theme park based on the hit novels-turned-blockbuster films The Hunger Games. This is not a good idea, and highlights why some of the Hunger Games marketing techniques should probably make us feel uncomfortable.
In the lead-up to the release of Catching Fire later this month, Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter reported that Jon Feltheimer, the Lionsgate CEO, said they have been "approached in two different territories about potential theme park opportunities, which gives you a sense of the cultural impact of this franchise" and are "excited about those opportunities and are pursuing them."
So a Hunger Games theme park is a fun idea, right? Let's just think about that for a second. This is a story about a dystopian society that, in order to oppress its people makes kids fight to the death. The land of the story, Panem, is not a fantastical dream destination that way that, say, J.K. Rowling's wizarding world of Harry Potter is. Potter, in fact, has already become a theme park and is expanding to more. A Hunger Games immersive experience is a bit more troubling, though, and already a Florida Hunger Games-themed camp raised eyebrows back in August for engaging kids in activities resembling the to-the-death fights of the books.