Most individuals today prefer to immerse in a cinematic experience over reading a 450-page book. However, if not for novels, there would not be many of the movies we enjoy today. Such titles as Les Miserables, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Shutter Island, The Godfather, etc., were all books first, after all.
There is an interesting relationship between books and their movie adaptations. Of course, a good book can have a bad adaptation, and a bad book might end up winning an Oscar, but when a good story becomes a good film, that’s when the magic happens. A good story makes for a good film, and a good adaptation keeps the legacy of an iconic book alive for all to see.
But what makes a good adaptation? Betway casino will try to find this answer!
Popularity Certainly Helps
Take a look at the most popular book series of all time. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings will find their way on every single one of those, and probably towards the very top, too. Other popular and iconic books include Alice in Wonderland, Jurassic Park, and The Hobbit. What do they have in common? They are popular as heck, and all of their film adaptations made a lot of money.
These were already heavyweight books in their genres, beloved by millions, and there is no doubt that a lot of fans of the books went to see the movie adaptation. This was a massive contribution to their box office earnings. In this list of highest-grossing film adaptations of books, you will find all of these books. You will also spot something interesting: series sell more than standalone.
The Power of the Series
The Lord of the Rings has three books in the series. Harry Potter has seven. Jurassic Park has two. These three entries take the top three positions in the above picture. There is a very legitimate reason for this. Having more material in a story prolongs the enjoyment, and the longer you can enjoy something, the bigger the place it will hold in your heart. Quantity is directly proportional to popularity.
Taking the example of Harry Potter, The Sorcerer’s Stone was a smash hit. Every subsequent movie only made the film series a bigger phenomenon across the world. More books were sold, more people got into it, and by the time the eighth film came out, there was no realistic chance of its bombing. People would go watch it anyway.
However, just because they’re popular doesn’t mean that the movies are masterpieces.
Popularity Does Not Quality Make
IMDB is used by most people to gauge a film’s worth. If you open the page tracking the ten highest-rated films according to IMDB, you will find that only a couple of them are adaptations. Although the highest-rated, The Shawshank Redemption, is based on a story by Stephen King and is widely beloved, there is also no dispute that none of these films made as much money as a global box office hit like Deathly Hallows Part 2.
However, continuing with the Harry Potter examples, below you will find a graphic detailing the ratings of the books on Goodreads against the ratings of the films on IMDB. The higher-rated books resulted in higher-rated films, more or less, so quality definitely plays a huge role.
What is interesting to note is that every single book is rated higher than the movie. This is a trend that continues with the top ten highest-grossing book-to-film adaptations as well.
Conclusion
Now, while the trend of reading is on the decline, the fans who have stuck to their hobby are the most passionate. It is only a popular book that will become a household phenomenon, and it is the fans who will make it so. That has always been the case and is unlikely to be otherwise.