I have read all the books and seen one movie. I have always perceived it as the in the old Roman “Bread and Circuses,” where the people had nothing, the tax grabbing totalitarian government grabbed everything and built huge coliseums and conducted bloody circuses for their entertainment.
Just as now, high taxes, totalitarian government, sporting events and reality shows to keep the sheeple dumbed down and entertained.
Panem does mean bread, after all.
The author stated that the concept and even the characters were based on Rome and the Roman Empire - a huge, centralized state where the hinterlands were basically just places to get resources and labor, and all wealth flowed to the capital, where it was mismanaged by greedy, cruel politicians.
That is the way I read these movies. And yes I’ve watched them.
You could also relate them to World Wide mass destruction, dictator run countries, or what could happen after the Rapture. Either fits.