Blockbuster movies originate in different places. Sometimes, before a story is told on screen, it’s first told in a novel.
From the wizarding worlds, to futuristic dystopias and the luxurious life of the wealthy in the 1920s, movies have put new twists on beloved books for many years.
Taking a story that has lived solely on the pages of a book to a big screen blockbuster is a risk.
Trying to recreate a story for a film that is already so widely loved can end up being a massive flop.
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“The Lord of the Rings” books and movies had enormous success. (New Line/WireImage)
Here are well-received movie adaptations of bestselling books that became wildly popular.
“Harry Potter”
The “Harry Potter” franchise has grown into a lot more than books. The first four books of the series were published before the first movie was released in 2001. After the release of the first film, the publishing of the rest of the books in the series and the release of movies became intertwined.
The J.K. Rowling books and movies rose in popularity together. It was July 2007 when the concluding book of the series came out. About three years later, the first part of the final movie was released, followed by the epic conclusion in 2011.
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A few months before “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” was released in theaters, fans of the franchise got to experience the magic in a unique way with the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida. Here, fans can fully immerse themselves in the magical world they have grown to love and see the story come to life before their eyes.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint play the three core characters in the movies — Harry, Hermione and Ron, respectively. The story of the young wizards navigating their magical lives at Hogwarts, often disrupted by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, has become a timeless story adored by generations of readers and movie watchers.
The story of the young wizard Harry Potter is one adored by generations of fans. (Peter Mountain/WireImage)
“Twilight”
The “Twilight” saga is a supernatural phenomenon that was wildly successful. The first of four books written by Stephenie Meyer came out in 2005. The rest of the series quickly followed, with “New Moon” coming out in 2006, “Eclipse” in 2007 and “Breaking Dawn” in 2008.
Just a few months after the release of the final book, the first “Twilght” movie was released starring Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black.
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This series follows Bella as she becomes part of the supernatural world after falling in love with Edward. He is seemingly a high school teenager but is actually a 100-year-old vampire. Bella becomes even more involved in the supernatural world when she finds out her close friend and occasional love interest, Jacob, is a werewolf.
Even years after the release of the books and movies, fans still can’t get enough of this story. In 2020, Meyer published “Midnight Sun,” a book that retells the story told in the original “Twilight” book, but this time through the eyes of Edward as opposed to Bella.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were two stars of the “Twilight” saga. (Chris Polk/FilmMagic)
“The Hunger Games”
“The Hunger Games” books tell of a dystopian future in which the nation of Panem is split into 12 districts and a powerful capital. Each year, the capitol forces one girl and one boy from each district to participate in the televised Hunger Games by random draw. The nominees from each district battle to the death, until one victor remains.
Katniss Everdeen’s life changes forever after she hears her sister Prim’s name drawn for District 12. She heroically volunteers as a tribute in her sister’s place and unknowingly begins a years-long battle against the capitol.
The first three books of the series were released between 2008 and 2010. The movies starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland were released a few years later, between 2012 and 2015. The third film of the franchise was split into two parts.
In 2020, a new layer to the story was told. Collins published “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” a book that serves as a prequel to the original series. The book is centered around the rise of President Snow and the early days of the Hunger Games.
This book was also made into a movie released in 2023. The movie contains many parallels to the original series and sheds light on the events that happen in the main trilogy.
“Divergent”
The “Divergent” book trilogy came out between 2011 and 2014. The science fiction series is made up of the books “Divergent,” “Insurgent” and “Allegiant.” A fourth book was released in 2014 called “Four: A Divergent Collection,” made up of short stories told from the perspective of Tobias Eaton, also known as Four.
Beatrice (Tris) Prior is the protagonist of this book. She lives in a dystopian Chicago that has been split up into five factions — Amity, Abnegation, Dauntless, Candor and Erudite.
Each year, when citizens turn 16, they must choose a faction where they wish to live out the rest of their lives, which may or may not be the one they grew up in. An aptitude test is supposed to help individuals determine which faction they would best fit into, but sometimes the test doesn’t work.
Shailene Woodley plays Tris Prior in the “Divergent” series. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
The story follows Tris’ life after she makes a shocking choice on decision day and the events that follow.
The first “Divergent” movie came out in 2014, followed by a second and third in 2015 and 2016. “Allegiant,” the third installment of the series, was never fully told in movie form. The movie only covers the first half of the story. Since part one of the third movie didn’t do nearly as well at the box office as the others, the rest of the story was left untold on the big screen. The movies star Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet and Zoë Kravitz.
“The Martian”
“The Martian” is the debut novel by Andy Weir. The plot follows astronaut Mark Watney, who is part of a NASA crew going to Mars. The crew is successful on its mission to land on the planet, but when a severe dust storm hits, the crew leaves Watney behind, thinking he is dead.
Watney ends up surviving the storm but finds himself alone on Mars with no way to get back home or communicate with his crew. Watney is determined to live through his circumstances and does everything in his power to do so.
The book was originally self-published by Weir in 2011 on his blog and was released again in 2014 by Crown Publishing group.
In 2015, Ridley Scott directed the movie version with the same title, and American actor Matt Damon played Watney.
“The Great Gatsby”
“The Great Gatsby” is a 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book, set in the 1920s, tells the story of the mysterious Jay Gatsby through the eyes of his neighbor Nick Carraway.
The book dives into Gatsby’s lavish Long Island parties and his love story with Daisy Buchanan.
There have been four film adaptations of this classic book. The latest was directed by Baz Luhrmann in 2013. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the mysterious millionaire in the movie, and Carey Mulligan plays his love interest. Tobey Maguire plays curious neighbor Carraway in the film.
There were also films based on this book made in 1926, 1949 and 1974.
“Little Women”
“Little Women” is a classic piece of literature by author Louisa May Alcott.
The latest film rendition of “Little Women” was released in 2019. ( David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)
The book was originally published in two parts, in 1868 and 1869. The book is a coming of age story following the March sisters — Meg, Joe, Beth and Amy. It’s set in Massachusetts during the Civil War.
There have been many movie adaptations of the famous book since its original publication. The latest was in 2019. The Greta Gerwig-directed film, “Little Women,” stars Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée Chalamet and Meryl Streep.
There were also movie versions of the book released in 1917, 1918, 1933, 1949 and 1994.
“The Help”
“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett was published in 2009. This book is about African American women who work as maids for wealthy white families in Jackson, Mississippi, during the 1960s.
A movie with the same title was created based on this popular book in 2011.
The main cast includes Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain.
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“Gone Girl”
“Gone Girl” is a 2012 thriller written by Gillian Flynn. It’s told from alternating perspectives of married couple, Nick and Amy Dune.
When Amy goes missing on the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary, Nick is an immediate suspect, but is he really the one behind her disappearance?
The movie “Gone Girl” was released in 2014 and starred Ben Affleck as Nick and Rosamund Pike as Amy.
“The Godfather”
“The Godfather” is highly regarded as one of the best movies of all time. This massively successful series all started with a book by Mario Puzo.
Marlon Brando plays Vito Corleone in “The Godfather.” (CBS via Getty Images)
The original book, first published in 1969, sparked inspiration for the first movies in the series. The books and movies about the New York Mafia family, the Corleones, have become a timeless story that has spanned generations.
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“The Lord of the Rings”
“The Lord of the Rings” books by J.R.R. Tolkien take readers on a fantasy-filled journey in the fictional setting of Middle-earth.
“The Hobbit” was the first book to be published by the author in 1937. The children’s book led to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy — “The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King.”
The first movie based on the trilogy was released in 2001.
“The Hobbit” also has its own film trilogy that was released between 2012 and 2014.
