For casual readers or hardcore bookworms, reading a book and creating what the characters or setting may look like in their heads is a special connection that they have. The author of the book can explain every detail to give the reader a clear image of the story. 

When a movie is announced with an adaptation from that book, there is a chance those characters can be destroyed. Many opinions and thoughts start to rise wondering if the movie is able to meet the expectations that readers anticipate. 

Lucky for these movies, expectations were met and became some of the most successful book to movie adaptations. 

Harry Potter Series

The Harry Potter series is by far one of the most well known books or movies whenever it is mentioned.  The book series was successful in making eight movies out of the seven books that were made. By the time the final movie came out, its movie gross was more than $1.3 billion. 

Whether it’s the iconic round glasses or the magical school that is Hogwarts, people who have only read the books or seen the movies can enjoy the experience that Harry Potter has brought to them (not to mention the amount of profit that it had brought, from pieces of clothes, household items, and even the theme park that is dedicated to the movies within Universal Studios). 

However, the audience tends to have a preference towards the book than the movies, which will be a common theme with the rest of the books mentioned, for the books had more details that were not mentioned within the movies, yet it is still an amusing experience for anyone who desires a movie marathon.

The Hunger Games Series

Dystopian settings in books is a popular theme amongst readers because of how they allow the reader to imagine different living settings and how the main characters try to escape the only life they’ve known. 

Katniss Everdeen is one of those characters. Also known as, “The Mockingjay,” Katniss Everdeen entered the 74th Hunger Games alongside fellow competitors. With three book releases and four movies, both readers and movie watchers were at the edge of their seats to see who would end up winning. 

By its last movie it had made 653.4 million dollars. It was an emotional movie that made people fight for what they believe in, as well as inspiring young girls to become heroines (since there weren’t that many at the time and it introduced a new concept to both readers and viewers). 

Nine years later after the last movie, the creators have decided to release a new movie based on the book The Ballards of Songbirds and Snakes, which serves as a prequel towards The Hunger Games (it’s set to be released later this year on November 17). Fans of this series will yet again have to witness and judge if the movie will meet their expectations. 

 The Perks of Being A Wallflower

For people who enjoy more young adult books, The Perks of Being A Wallflower is one of the classics that many young adult readers thoroughly enjoy. It may be the fact that most of these coming of age books take place in middle to high school that allows the reader to connect with the characters. 

When these books are made into movies, it allows the viewers to imagine and romanticize their school and teenage years while still being able to talk about mental health, family issues, finding or losing friendships, and knowing more about oneself. 

The main character, Charlie, is a freshman in high school. He struggles with bullies, and mental health based on his past events.  He was quiet and didn’t talk much, that was until he was found by his new friends who tried to take him out of his boundaries. It’s both a book and movie that many young readers connect with for they may be going through the same experience. The film earned over $33.3 million worldwide. 

A big difference between the book and movie is that the book has a more serious and sorrowful feeling towards it, while the movie has a more whimsical and playful tone. Both do however make for an unforgettable experience.

It

For readers who like to sit in the dark with nothing but a lit candle and a blanket wanting to feel a slight chill, horror stories are the way to go. For people who may not know, there have been many movie adaptations based on horror novels such as The Shining, Bird Box, and even Jaws. All these novels and films have become classic horror movies, especially when it comes to the spooky season. 

But a character that many people will know, reader or viewer, will be Pennywise the dancing clown and his red balloon from the novel, It. The beloved clown had his own mini-series in the 90s but from then on he had many other adaptations. However the one adaptation that would become most famously known would be the 2017 movie adaptation starring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. The first movie would come to success and earn over $328.8 million dollars. Most fan lovers of the book were worried that they might have not continued with the movies when it was cut half way based on the book but were tied back in when a movie sequel was announced. The sequel of the movie would come out a couple years later in 2019. It: Chapter 2 which picks up right where they had left off in the first movie and where it would take place in the novel. 

For both readers and viewers the frightening clown has become a classic horror character for everyone to recognize and know when to stay away from random floating red balloons.