Does the world need a 'Hunger Games' theme park?

I'm a big fan of The Hunger Games trilogy of books. I'm also a big fan of the first Hunger Games movie adaptation, and with the second installment due out soon, I expect it will be awesome as well. Does that mean I'll hop a flight and drop hundreds of bucks at a Hunger Games theme park? Absolutely not.

Apparently, Lionsgate (the studio behind The Hunger Games movies) is thinking about getting into another type of entertainment business: theme parks. The studio's CEO has said as much, indicating that yes, it could happen.  Jon Feltheimer is quoted by The Hollywood Reporter as saying that Lionsgate has "been approached" about possibly opening a Hunger Games-related theme park and adds that the studio is "excited" about the chance to do so. I'll bet they are. Imagine the millions of dollars they stand to make if one (or even two) Hunger Games theme parks open in the coming years. This movie franchise is smoking hot, and it likely will be until the final film is released (several years from now).

So I have to ask my fellow Hunger Games fans: Are you also excited about the possibility of a Hunger Games theme park? Are you in any way disturbed by the idea?

My immediate reaction after reading about this situation is that it's preposterous. The Hunger Games story does not lend itself in any way to family fun. Sure, I can see some kids lining up to take their turns learning to shoot a virtual bow and arrow like everyone's hero, Katniss Everdeen, but do we really want these youngsters shooting said arrows at other people with the intent to kill them in order to ensure their survival? I mean even if this was a virtual attraction, it's still blood sport.

This is not Harry Potter, people. You will not sip delicious Butterbeer as you plan your visit to Hogwarts and pick out wands at Ollivander's Wand Shop while enjoying a nice, relaxing vacation to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. No, during your visit to The Hunger Games theme park, you'll be strategizing and preparing to battle it out to the very end with fellow park-goers. If you're lucky, you will survive. Obviously I'm exaggerating, but I think I've made my point. The whole idea of an HG theme park is just nutty.

So, it turns out I'm not alone in being just a little bit uncomfortable with the idea of a Hunger Games theme park. Please take a moment to check out Esther Zuckerman's excellent post on The Atlantic Wire about why a Hunger Games theme park should never, ever happen. She makes excellent points, by the way, about the disturbing marketing that's going on surrounding Catching Fire, noting that, "...perhaps everyone should consider what they are selling." It makes me wonder if any of these idiotic, supremely greedy studio types have ever really read The Hunger Games books? I mean do they get that this is about a dark, horribly disturbing dystopian society that encourages a fight to the death battle each year involving children?!

Of course, I'm sure some of you have already thought this - but could this just be a publicity stunt on the part of Lionsgate? The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is set to open in a little less than two weeks, after all. And all the big players in the movie: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin and others are lining up doing the required shilling for the cause as we speak. Maybe I'm too cynical. Maybe this has nothing to do with a cheap publicity stunt. Still, it's hard not to wonder if that's what's going on. I can't imagine Catching Fire even needs publicity at this point. We're all going to see it and we'll probably all wind up loving it, anyway.

I'd really like to hear what you guys think about all of this. Do you think the idea of a Hunger Games theme park is simply ridiculous? Do you believe it's smart marketing on the part of Lionsgate? Or do you think that creating a Hunger Games theme park is a brilliant idea, and you can't wait to get tickets? Feel free to rant or rave in the comments. I'm fully prepared for both.

Photo courtesy of The Atlantic Wire and WeGotThisCovered.com