Young adult books entering theaters
Thanks to the success of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, young adult book-to-movie adaptions are bigger than ever. Books entering theaters this year are The Fault in Our Stars, The Maze Runner, The Giver, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1.
The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars is a bittersweet romance about two teenagers with cancer who fall in love.
The book is the sixth written by John Green, a YouTube vlogger who has over 2 million subscribers. Thanks to his wide fan base and their pull, The Fault in Our Stars caught Hollywood’s eye. The Fault in Our Stars is currently flying off shelves after its movie debut a few weeks ago with a $48 million opening weekend.
Critics and fans alike have been claiming this movie is the best book-to-film adaption they have seen; both staying true to the characters and plot. Green is currently getting ready to watch his first book, Looking for Alaska, go through the same adaption process.
The Giver
The Giver, by Lois Lowry, follows 12-year-old Jonas as he prepares to begin his role as the Giver, who receives all of the memories of the community in order to keep the world they live in perfect.
The movie will be released Aug. 15.
The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, is the first in a trilogy that follows Thomas and his friends who only remember their names, and have to find their way out of a gigantic maze.
The movie is set to be released Sept. 19.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, is the final book of The Hunger Games Series. It follows the beginning and ending of the rebellion against the Capitol.
The Hunger Games exploded into the movie scene in 2012 fueled by fans of the books. According to Box Office Mojo, the first installment grossed $152.5 million opening weekend and its sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, in 2013, grossing $158 million its opening weekend. The third installment of the series The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1 is set to be released this November, with the fourth installment and second part set for 2015.
Less Successful Adaptations
The Hunger Games was very successful, other popular Young Adult book series like The Mortal Instruments and Percy Jackson are having a harder time achieving such success.
The first book-to-movie adaption of the Mortal Instruments Series, by Cassandra Clare, City of Bones, was released in fall 2013. The production of the sequel, City of Ashes, plans to go ahead thanks to fan support after the first movie did not make as much money as was desired.
Two books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan, have been adapted and has made enough of an impact to continue with the third adaption. The series has seen a divide in fan support; some fans think the movies are “ruining the books,” while others like both and want to see them continued. The author, Rick Riordan, does not want to see the adaptions.
The box-office-shattering Harry Potter Series made J.K. Rowling a billionaire and richer than the Queen of England. Since Hollywood has and always will respond to money, Harry Potter and, more recently, Twilight paved the way for future box-office-shattering adaptions.
Film adaptions are not only happening to young adult fiction. The adaptations of Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, is being released this fall and the adaptations of Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James, will debut in 2015.
The Hollywood trend of film adaptions seems to be going strong for the time being.