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Entertainment6 books that saw a jump in sales following their movie adaptations

6 books that saw a jump in sales following their movie adaptations

People sometimes come across movies where the script is nothing short of a masterpiece, only to realize it’s an adaptation of a book, usually with the same name. They then go on to buy the book to relive the story all over again. In this way, several box-office adaptations have helped books become bestsellers. One might be surprised to hear the names of a few such novels that rose to fame because of their film adaptation.

The Hunger Games

After its movie adaptation debuted in theaters, The Hunger Games became among the highest-selling book series. According to Scholastic, about 23.5 million copies of the trilogy were printed at the start of 2012. This number jumped by 55 percent to 36.5 million after the first movie was released a few months later that year. The sales kept increasing as the next installments of the book were made into movies. Today, there are over 100 million copies in print across all four books in the series.

Those who have not yet read the books or watched the movies should know that The Hunger Games is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where the primary source of entertainment is a televised annual death match among 24 teens. With Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson starring in lead roles, the movie is the perfect mix of action, romance, and thrills.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Written by E L James, Fifty Shades of Grey explores a romance between a college student, Anastasia Steele, and a successful businessman, Christian Grey. The book was already a fan favorite in various pockets globally, even before its film adaptation hit the box office. But the movie helped it boost its sales further. Within a week of opening in 2015, the movie, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, whipped up sales by about 758% compared to three months earlier. The next installments of the book—Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed—were also made into movies. This trilogy earned around $35 million in the country and has sold over 165 million copies worldwide.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter movies had fantasy fans starstruck for more than a decade and continue to impress even today. They follow the life of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, all students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each movie did exceptionally well at the box office, grossing $7.7 billion worldwide. Some of that magic worked for the novels too. In the four weeks following the November 2001 debut of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, sales of the corresponding book tripled to over 950,000 units compared to the previous four weeks. Even the other books in the series saw a sizable increase in sales. Today, Harry Potter is one of the top-selling book series, with over 600 million copies sold worldwide.

Paper Towns

With actress and model Cara Deveingne in the lead, the film adaptation of Paper Towns was well received. The story follows a high school senior who starts looking for his crush after she disappears after a night of pranks. Audiences were full of praise for this brilliant film directed by Jake Schreier. But what was more impressive is how the book’s author, John Green, received a massive payout, thanks to increased sales in the days leading up to the movie’s release. Paper Towns sold about 50,000 copies three months before the film’s premiere and continued to shift about 51,300 a week in the fortnight following its debut.

The Martian

No doubt, the science fiction novel by Andy Weir was already a popular read. But the paperback version sales skyrocketed in the days leading up to the film’s release. Weir first made the book available online for 0.99 cents in 2012. It sold about 35,000 copies at this price and soon became popular, spending three weeks on the New York Times fiction bestseller list.

Following the book’s success, Fox contacted Weir for film rights. In the days following its movie release, the book had about 62,000 weekly sales. Once released, the movie grossed over $630 million worldwide. As for the novel, over time, it sold more than three million copies, in part thanks to its film adaptation.

The Maze Runner

This post-apocalyptic tale follows a group of ten boys who wake up with no memory of their lives in a maze. Directed by Wes Ball, The Maze Runner movie did well at the box office in 2014. Even its sequels performed beautifully when they made their way to the silver screen. But one did not quite expect the movies to draw people to the novels. 

Soon after The Maze Runner movie was released, author James Dashner’s novel moved up to No. 3 on the best-selling books list of USA Today. The success also worked wonders not only for The Maze Runner but also for the other books in the seriesThe Scorch Trials at No. 12, The Death Cure at No. 35, and The Kill Order at No. 93.

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