Hungrier Than Hunger Games: These Blockbusters Really Stretch Their Books, When Hollywood began turning successful book franchises into blockbuster factories, production companies uncovered a lucrative little secret: The number of words need not limit the longevity of a movie series.
The latest filmed installment of the “Hunger Games” novels, Mockingjay–Part 1, is the first of two movies based on the final book. It just posted the largest box office gross over an opening weekend of any film so far this year. Thanks to the split of the last book, Lions Gate Entertainment gets to cash in again with Mockingjay–Part 2 next year.
Of course, some books and series are more easily stretched than others. Longer books naturally give writers and directors more to work with. The final Harry Potter book was 197,651 words long. That was enough wizardry to produce two films, each of which made more than $950 million worldwide.
The downside risk of stretching a single book over multiple films is that the movies can feel a little thin. After director Peter Jackson converted J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy into three commercially successful films, he attempted to do the same thing with “The Hobbit.” The difference is that, taken together, “The Lord of Rings” books are 471,346 words long. “The Hobbit” is 93,352.
Of course, from a critical perspective, it’s hard to say whether any book is too short (or long) to be made into a feature film. The director may choose to accentuate or elaborate upon a particular plot point – or ignore it altogether – and, in the end, the audience decides. Still, “The Hobbit” could test some moviegoers’ patience. With roughly 80 percent of the book accounted for in the first two films, Jackson had precious little story left for the third, which is scheduled to be released next month. They may help explain the reportedly 45-minute-long battle sequence at the end.
