Retellings in the Film Industry

Have you ever wondered just how many movies were adapted from books? When I first thought about that question, I didn’t comprehend just how much the film industry has been thriving off of retellings. From J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, nearly everyone in this day and age has been exposed to at least one book-to-film adaptation, whether or not they actually know it. 

In 2023, Dean Talbot from WordsRated reported that 70% of the top 20 grossing films worldwide were book-based. Additionally, book-to-film adaptations were reported to make 53% more revenue than movies based on original screenplays. 

This might not seem very logical, as one would normally think that an audience would appreciate originality more than the prospect of watching a movie in which they already know most of its components and have an idea as to how the story will play out. However, those statistics present the idea that people actually really like retellings. Perhaps audiences simply enjoy being shocked by the ways directors choose to depart from the story. Perhaps they simply love seeing the books they love reading being translated into film. Either way, it’s clear that the film industry and retellings go hand in hand.

Moreover, the film industry’s reliance on the idea of retelling goes much further than one might believe. It’s not only books that are often subject to adaptation. Movies have been based off of video games, children’s toys, and theatrical plays as well. This is made abundantly clear when considering recent movies such as Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Not to mention, there have been over 50 film adaptations of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet.

It is evident that retellings make up much of the film industry. So are any of your favorite movies retellings?

Fairy truly yours,

Grace W. Wong