The young adult novel adaptation has become a staple of the big screen over the last few years with a whole host of well-loved books been given a movie makeover.
Paper Towns
We have been treated to action packed, magical, dangerous, and heart-breaking stories as some of our favourite literary characters have been brought to life by some terrific actors.
This week sees Paper Towns, which is the second of John Green's novels to be adapted into a movie, hit the big screen with Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne cast in the lead roles of Quentin and Margo.
To celebrate the release of Paper Towns, which is sees Jake Schreier back in the director's chair for the first time since Robot & Frank, we take a look at the young adult novel adaptations that have raked in the cash at the box office.
- Harry Potter Franchise - $7,723 billion
Harry Potter is one of the most successful movie franchises of all time - second only to the Marvel Cinematic Universe - and saw eight movies released between 2001 and 2011.
The Harry Potter series was based on the novels by J.K. Rowling, which have sold over 450 million copies worldwide - making it a literary phenomenon.
The movies propelled Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to superstardom as they played wizards Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, while Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates all directed films in the series.
While the Harry Potter movies may not have always been a huge hit with the critics, fans of the books flocked to see them and the franchise went on to gross over $7.7 billion over that ten year period.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 brought the series to an end with a bang and went on to be the highest grossing film in the series. It was also the only Harry Potter film that grossed over $1 billion - surpassing the previous highest grossing total of $974.8 million, set by The Philosopher's Stone.
- The Twilight Franchise - $3.345 billion
The Twilight franchise is another series of movies that have whipped up a storm in recent years. Were you 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob?' The movies were based on the novels by Stephenie Meyer and consisted of four film - Breaking Dawn was split into two films.
The first film was released back in 2008 and immediately shot Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart to global fame, as they took on the central roles of vampire Edward Cullen and human Bella Swan. They were joined on the cast list by Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, and Ashley Greene.
Catherine Hardwicke, Chris Weitz, David Slade, and Bill Condon have all sat in the director's chair for the franchise, which has grossed over $3.3 billion at the global box office over four years.
Breaking Dawn - Part 2, which was released back in 2012 is the highest grossing film in the franchise as it took $829.7 million at the global box office. It went on to become the highest grossing film in the franchise - surpassing the total of $712.1 million posted by Breaking Dawn - Part 1 the year before.
The Twilight franchise remains one of the most successful vampire film franchises of all time and really opened the door for both Pattinson and Stewart in Hollywood; they are two of the most in demand young stars.
- The Hunger Games Franchise - $2.307 billion
After the success of Twilight, it was no surprise that more female led young adult books series were given the movie greenlight... one of the most successful came in the form of The Hunger Games, which was based on the book of the same name by Suzanne Collins.
For me, The Hunger Games is the best of this genre of film and is a series of movies that really has stuck close to the source material. It was 2012 when The Hunger Games hit the big screen and we were introduced to Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen for the first time.
By the time The Hunger Games was released, Lawrence had already picked up a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her work in Winter's Bone but this was the role that really turned her into a global superstar.
Three films have hit the big screen so far - The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay Part 1 - with Mockingjay Part 2 set to be one of the big and unmissable films this autumn. The movie will bring the franchise to a close and will see Francis Lawrence back in the director's chair for his third film in the series.
So far, Catching Fire has been the most successful movie of the series, taking $864.9 million by the end of its theatrical release. Will Mockingjay - Part 2 surpass that total and become the highest grossing film in the series? Will it become the first film in the series to break $1 billion?
- The Divergent Series - $584 million
It was spring 2014 when Divergent hit the big screen and Shailene Woodley took on the role of Tris Prior for the first time. Earlier this year, sequel Insurgent was released.
The Divergent series was based on the books by Veronica Roth and was set in a society that is divided into factions - of which you have to choose one as a teenager. Neil Burger was in the director's chair for the first film, while Robert Schwentke took over for Insurgent.
Woodley is one of the most exciting young actresses working in Hollywood at the moment and her role as Tris has really helped make her a global star. Woodley is joined on the cast list by Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Ashley Judd, Ray Stevenson, and Oscar winner Kate Winslet.
However, the Divergent movies have not enjoyed the same critical and commercial success that some of the other YA film series have achieved. The first film grossed $288.7 million at the box office - which really was a very modest success.
Insurgent has done slightly better with $295 million. We are going to be treated to two more films as the third and final novel Allegiant will be split into two films - the first will be released in March 2016.
- The Maze Runner - $344.3 million
The Maze Runner was one of the surprise young adult movie hits of last year when it was released as part of the autumn schedule in October.
The Maze Runner is based on the novel of the same name by James Dashner and marked the feature film directorial debut of Wes Ball. The movie follows a group of youths who wake up to find themselves in a glade, surrounded by high walls and a maze, and no memories of who they are or who they got there.
Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, and Will Poulter made up an exciting young cast list and the film went on to be both a critical and commercial hit. And now the sequel is on the horizon.
This September Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is set to hit the big screen and will pick up where the first left off - with the Gladers having escaped the maze. However, life outside the maze is more dangerous than ever.
Ball is once again in the director's chair for the film, while T.S. Nowlin has adapted Dashner's novel into a screenplay. This dystopian adventure looks set to be even bigger than the first and could be one of the YA hits of the year.
- The Fault In Our Stars - $307.2 million
Paper Towns is the first of John Green's novels to be adapted for the big screen and comes a year after the release and success of The Fault In Our Stars. It was summer 2014 when The Fault In Our Stars was released and it really did prove to be one of the sleeper hits of the year.
The Fault In Our Stars is the sixth novel from Green and was released back in 2012. The movie follows Hazel and Gus, two cancer patients who fall in love after meeting at a cancer support group.
The Fault In Our Stars was another YA film project for Shailene Woodley as she took on the role of Hazel. The movie also saw her reunite with Ansel Elgort - they play brother and sister in Divergent - as he took on the role of Gus. The pair were joined on the cast list by Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, and Willem Dafoe.
A welcome break from all of the big budget blockbusters that are released during the summer, The Fault In Our Stars is a touching and tear-jerking story about first love - and is a more uplifting tale than you would expect.
The movie grossed over $307 million at the global box office and was one of the biggest and most successful none-blockbuster films of last year.
Paper Towns is out now.
Tagged in Harry Potter Twilight The Hunger Games Paper Towns