Cinema has time and again relied on literature to make many of the most iconic and accomplished films of our time.
In fact in the last year itself there were many successful adaptations namely ‘Little Women’, ‘The Goldfinch’, ‘Five Feet Apart’ and ‘P.S. I Still Love You’ among others that made a mark on audiences.
The rise in book-to-film adaptations can be attributed to the fact that they’re more successful than original screenplays and earn 53% more revenue at the box office than the former. Studios are more inclined to greenlight such scripts due to the fact that they have an in-built audience that will follow the story right to the big screen and make the film a guaranteed “hit”.
A good adaptation works when the original plot has a cinematic appeal to it, meaning it has a story of intrigue, suspense or drama that can be translated on screen effectively. This appeals to both new and old audiences and makes for engaging cinema.
Streaming platforms have made shows such as ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Man in the High Castle’ possible. These shows are rich in narrative and plot-heavy with multiple characters and a complex world that needs several seasons to justify the story being told. With OTT it has become easier to do so.
These adaptations, if successful, can run for years to come and ensure that subscribers of these platforms lock in for a long period to watch the whole TV series. Sometimes there are even spinoffs of the main adaptation if the audience is enthusiastic and widespread which is extremely beneficial for the studios in monetary terms.
Closer home there has been a definite rise in book adaptations with films such as ‘The Zoya Factor’, ‘Raazi’, ‘Dil Bechara’, ‘Tikli and Laxmi Bomb’ and ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ among many others. These films have been released on either theatre or OTT but their success is guaranteed due to the book’s following.
Such adaptations work in the favour of the publishing industry as well because if the movie is a hit then there will be a rise in book sales too. The books are given a new cover with the faces of the actors and sold as part of the film merchandise. The author receives a considerable amount from the film and they can then write more books and release them thus ensuring the cycle keeps moving.
Audience which says ‘The book was better than the movie’ might be right but the movie definitely makes more money and rest assured it is here to stay for a long time.
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