If you're struggling to understand the appeal of a theme park angled around 1) a yearly competition in which children fight and kill each other until only one's left standing and 2) the subsequent violent, confusing revolution, you're not alone. Lionsgate was apparently rebuffed by a few major theme park operators when it first proposed acquiring the Hunger Games license, and American partner Avatron felt compelled to defend the property's suitability in The New York Times piece linked above. "There are so many positives about these movies, starting with the fact that she's an empowered young woman," said Avatron vice chairman James Ram.

Lionsgate's plan for The Hunger Games' implementation at Motiongate might serve as a preview of what it's planning for Georgia. Its section of the park will include a recreation of Katniss' District 12 home, a virtual hovercraft tour of Panem, and a roller coaster that mirrors the high-speed trains linking the Capitol and the country's various districts. It's a plan that seems to gloss over much of the dirty, bloody business that makes The Hunger Games so memorable, of course — will you be able to explore various Hunger Games arenas? Can you complete your own skill showcase for a panel of virtual judges? Can you participate in a FPS-style revolution battle? I suspect concerns about the theme parks' incongruities will vanish quickly if they prove profitable.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 arrives in theaters November 20th.