Are You Ready for Hunger Games Land Amusement Park?

Bryan Enk
·Contributor
Updated
Jennifer Lawrence in Lionsgate's 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,' looking like she might be buckling up for a ride.
Jennifer Lawrence in Lionsgate's 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,' looking like she might be buckling up for a ride.

We’d buy a ticket to Panem. And you know you would, too.

Little ol’ Lionsgate is really hitting the big leagues now as the studio may be entering the wonderful (and lucrative) world of theme parks. “The Hunger Games” is being eyed for a vacation destination.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer made the announcement on Friday morning during a conference call with analysts, saying that the studio had been approached about “Hunger Games” theme parks in two territories. He gave no further details, but surely it was enough to get everyone’s imagination running wild.

Picture yourself taking a flaming chariot trot. Then move over to the Tracker Jacker ride, it’s bound to be quite the trip. The Quarter Quell Arena Wave Pool will certainly be a cool spot on a hot day. And for the little ones, how nice will it be to coast through the Districts in a Small-World-style tour of widespread poverty and oppression?

But please, stay away from the Nightlock berries in the food court. Oh wait, this is Hunger Games Land, there is no food court.

So … what venues might be interested in transforming some of their real estate into recreations of the Capitol, the 12 Districts, and other key locations in “The Hunger Games" mythos? We’d say the odds are in the favor of Disney World and Disneyland; sure, the property might ultimately be a little violent for Disney’s taste, but the Mouse House has never been one to pass up an opportunity to make a lot of money.

Other possibilities are Six Flags and Universal Studios, the latter of which has certainly enjoyed a lot of success with its “edgier” attractions such as Halloween Horror Nights.

One of the most popular theme parks going today is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in June 2010 at Universal Studios Orlando and now spans over two areas. The attraction will continue to be expanded through 2014, with versions currently under construction at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan.

Meanwhile, Disney is planning a massive Marvel theme park, and an expansion of their current “Star Wars” attractions is probably on the horizon, especially upon yesterday’s news that “Episode VII” is getting an official release date of Dec. 18, 2015.

The theme park news makes for an exciting prelude to the imminent opening of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which hits theaters on Nov. 22 and is projected to make a bajillion dollars.