Lionsgate Consider Opening ‘Hunger Games’ Theme Park
Yesterday Focus Film caught wind of a little Hunger Games news, the possibility of a Hunger Games based theme park! Lionsgate, who produce and distribute the film, have been approached by two businesses who have proposed the idea of creating a theme park based on the popular books and films.
Lionsgate’s CEO Jon Feltheimer noted that the success of the first film and the proposed success of the upcoming sequel, Catching Fire, have caused the company to be approached by investors with the possibility of branching out the franchise to themed amusement parks. Feltheimer said during a conference call on Friday “We have been approached in two different territories about potential theme park opportunities, which gives you a sense of the cultural impact of this franchise… We are excited about those opportunities and are pursuing them”
The Hunger Games generated a massive worldwide gross of $691, 247, 768, making it the third best-selling film in the US market during 2012. The franchise based park would be following in the footsteps of the incredibly popular Harry Potter based ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ at Universal Orlando.
The second film in THG series, due for theatrical UK release on November 21st, cost over $130M to make yet articles are circulating which predict a huge $175M three-day opening gross, yet Lionsgate are more modest about the issue predicting $140M opening gross. The first film opened to $152M in 2012, yet past franchises have seen sequels generally earn more. Feltheimer noted that Lionsgate are “confident that we have positioned Catching Fire as a global phenomenon to continue the growth of the franchise”
The interest surrounding the release of the new film is reflected not only in the US but also overseas, as Rob Friedman (Co-Chair of Lionsgate) noted that “We’ve been monitoring tracking around the globe really, and in addition to the very strong tracking domestically, we’re seeing the same sort of results in the U.K., Germany, and our Italian distributor is very excited about what’s going on there.”
According to Vanity Fair they “got an early draft of some of the attractions being proposed for the park” Below they jokingly list these ideas. Let’s hope these don’t inspire any actual attractions…
“Take Your Best Shot!: Step into our state-of-the-art virtual arena, where we’ll give you three arrows which you’ll have to shoot at hyper-realistic, 3-D small children who will appear in front of you. Shoot those children well, and you’ll receive a gleaming Jennifer Lawrence bobblehead doll as a prize. If you don’t succeed, we’ll e-mail you an animated gif of our virtualization of your gory murder.
Starvation Lab: Experience what it’s like to live in District 12 in this dimly lit chamber where you are given three crackers every eight hours. That’s it. That’s the attraction. Especially popular with actors who are gunning for Oscars and pre-tweens who can’t read very well yet and see the word “starvation” as either “seven” or “starfish.”
Peeta Stands: Every 100 yards within the park grounds, you’ll be able to find a stand selling piping hot pita bread, which will taste perfectly fine, though ultimately you’ll get a sneaking suspicion that the bread’s chemistry with your stomach has an odd “siblings vibe” to it that you don’t think was intended.”
Don’t forget that Focus Film are on the red carpet on the 11th to cover the World Premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire!
