Authors Who Earned More By Screen Adaptation Than Books

Every other month one film adaptation of a novel is happening, some of the authors and some renowned authors like William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Arthur Conan Doyle whose movies or theatre work touched so many readers and audiences but alas, they never got to see their magnificence. In this article, we are going to read about such screen adaptations that performed extraordinarily well, even better than books. Here is a list of 6 authors who earned more by screen adaptation than books.

J. K. Rowling

We are all aware of J. K. Rowling either due to the Harry Potter series or due to her transphobic comments. Rowling stirred the literary world and readers with both. But Harry Potter is a brand of its own and the merchandise is huge. Here is a list of a few screen adaptations of Harry Potter movies with their worldwide income.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – (97.48 Crores USD)

An 11-year-old orphan named Harry Potter discovers that he is not a normal boy but a wizard and he is invited to study at the Hogwarts School. Even though escaped his dreadful life as an orphan, he finds mysteries and troubles awaiting him.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – (87.96 Crores USD)

A house-elf warns Harry Potter to not return to the Hogwarts House. But, Harry chooses to ignore his warning and he returns to Hogwarts School, where he finds himself surrounded by mysteries.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – (79.74 Crores USD)

In this part, Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts with the knowledge that Sirius Black, a prisoner of Azkaban who has recently escaped has the plan to kill Harry. But the moment they meet, Harry gets to know that Sirius was very close to his late parents and he is perhaps the only true family Harry had in the series.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – (89.67 crores USD)

Surprisingly Harry gets chosen as the fourth participant in the Inter-School Triwizard Tournament, he is unknowingly pulled into a conspiracy that is darker than imagination and he slowly gets familiar with the true motif.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – (94.22 crores USD)

This is Harry’s fifth year in Hogwarts and he gets to learn more about the wizard community. Cornelius Fudge, the minister of magic appoints Dolores Umbridge, one of the most hated fictional characters, as a teacher of the Defense Against Dark Arts. Because Fudge fears that Dumbledore will take his position. But Umbridge is cruel to the students so Potter prepares a group of students to save the school from the rising evil tide.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – (93.45 crores USD)

In this story Harry finds out more about Lord Voldemort and his rise in power with Dumbledore. Harry stumbles upon a potion textbook that belongs to someone named the Half-Blood Prince.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – (97.65 crores USD)

In this part of the story, Lord Voldemort is more powerful than ever as he takes over the Ministry of Magic, and the trio (Harry, Hermione, and Ron) are compelled to conceal. They try to find out clues that Dumbledore has left to destroy Voldemort’s several lives – the Horcruxes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – (134.2 crores USD)

In this final part, the trio Harry, Hermione, and Ron compete against time to end the remaining Horcruxes. In the meantime, all the students and teachers of Hogwarts House unite together to fight against the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort.

Stephen King

People who are into horror movies, which are a huge population, certainly know Stephen King and even people who hate the horror genre. He is referred to as the king of horror so obviously, his screen adaptations will be of king-sized horror, right? Here is a list of a few screen adaptations based on Stephen King’s books with their worldwide earnings.

The Green Mile – (286.8 million USD)

This story by King talks about a death row supervisor named Paul Edgecombe and his encounter with an odd inmate named John Coffey who displays incomprehensible curative and compassionate capabilities. If any reader is curious about magical realism, they should read this.

1408 – (132.9 million USD)

1408 is a short story that got the inspiration from a compilation of real-life stories investigated by a popular parapsychologist named Christopher Chacon on the most infamously haunted hotel rooms in the world.

The Dark Tower – (113.2 million USD)

It is a story of Roland Deschain who is Mid World’s last gunslinger. Roland is traveling towards the southeast direction across a Mid-World’s post-apocalyptic land in search of a great but indefinable mysterious edifice named The Dark Tower.

It – (701.7 million USD)

A shape-shifting evil clown known as Pennywise appears every 27 years to prey on the children of Derry, Maine. Seven young outcasts of this town are going to face this bloodthirsty clown over a horrifying summer.

It Chapter Two – (473 million USD)

Evil clown Pennywise is back in town after 27 years of getting defeated by the Loser’s Club. The childhood friends are adults now and they have gone their separate ways. But when people began to disappear from town Mike Hanlon summons for one last stand. Damaged from the past wounds, the Losers must unite to end their deepest fear clown Pennywise who is now stronger than ever.

Nicholas Sparks

People who love to read romance already knew about Nicholas Sparks but it was mostly The Notebook when people started talking about Sparks and the kind of romance that he offers. Here is a list of a few screen adaptations based on Nicholas Spark’s books with its worldwide income.

Message in a Bottle – (118 million USD)

Journalist Theresa Osborne during her morning jog finds out an anonymous heartbreaking love letter. After her paper publishes the letter she manages to track down the author of the letter Garret Blake, in the Carolinas. But Osborne finds herself falling for Blake which works as a guilt every time s thinks about the real motivation of meeting Blake.

The Notebook – (115 million USD)

It is the story of Allie and Noah who has been separated by fate. Duke reads the story daily to Ms. Hamilton who is an old woman suffering from Dementia.

The Last Song – (118 million USD)

New York teen Ronnie Miller is upset about being sent away to stay with their father along with her brother Jonah. But this troubled father-daughter relationship will eventually find a new way of connecting through their mutual love for music.

Dear John – (114 million USD)

John Tyree is a soldier who is in love with Savannah Curtis and they build a strong romantic relationship. Even after his deployment both of them stay in touch through letters for seven years. But their love dies at the end with themselves.

The Lucky One – (99 million USD)

U.S. Marine Sgt. Logan Thibault returns home from an Iraq war with a photograph of a woman that he believes kept him alive in the war. He believes that this woman is her lucky charm who he doesn’t even know. He tracks down the woman and her name is Beth. Than he meets Beth and eventually finds a job in her family and within her family, he finds his peace.

Stephanie Meyer

American novelist Stephanie Meyer is certainly popular because of the Twilight series. As we grew up we realized Twilight was a lot like a teen Wattpad fan fiction, but it is certain her books would not have sold without the movie adaptations. Here is a list of a few screen adaptations based on the Twilight series with its worldwide earning.

Twilight – (40.71 crore USD)

Bella Swan moves in with her father in Forks, Washington. She meets a mysterious boy in her high school, Edward Cullen. Later she discovers that Edward is different than others because she is a vampire.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon – (70.98 crores USD)

Edward realizes that Bella’s life is threatened and unsafe because of him so he decides to leave him and move away. Amidst this heartbreak Bella finds her comfort in Jacob Black.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – (69.84 crores USD)

High school student Bella has to choose between friendship and love, between Jacob and Edward. And the revengeful vampire Victoria is haunting Bella.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 – (71.22 crores USD)

Edward and Bella are married now. Bella realizes that she is pregnant with a child that is half-human and half-vampire. And, this unborn child has several enemies in the outside world.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 – (82.97 crores USD)

This part starts with joy as Bella is also a vampire now and Edward and Bella have their daughter Renesmee. But someone misinforms Volturi that Renesmee is immortal and they set out to end the child. But the movie ends on a happy note.

Thomas Harris

Even if you have not watched it, I bet you have heard the name of Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal is a famous character created by Harris. More than half of his books have been adapted on the screen. The most notable adaptation is The Silence of the Lambs as it managed to become the third film to sweep so many Oscars in several major categories. Here is a list of a few screen adaptations based on Thomas Harris’s books with its worldwide income.

The Silence of the Lambs – (27.27 crores USD)

An FBI agent named Clarice Starling asks for help from Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who is a former psychiatrist and a psychopathic serial killer, to capture another serial killer whose target is only females.

Hannibal – (35.16 crores USD)

Dr. Hannibal Lecter lives at a non-familiar location under a new name after being arrested for cannibalism. Mason Verger, one of the victims makes an elaborate plan to track him down and avenge himself.

Red Dragon – (20.92 crores USD)

This is the sequel of The Silence of the Lambs and the prequel of Hannibal Rising. In this part, an FBI agent is summoned of early retirement to find a serial killer. The agent asks for the support of his arch-nemesis named Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Hannibal Rising – (8.22 crores USD)

Young Hannibal Lecter is determined on his path of vengeance after his baby sister is killed by the Nazi police. He moves in at his aunt’s place and commences hunting down the murderers.

John Grisham

Grisham was not only a novelist; he was also a lawyer, which explains why he is so popular because of his legal thrillers. Here is a list of a few screen adaptations based on John Grisham’s books with their worldwide earnings. He is one of the only three writers to have sold about two million copies on the first print, besides Tom Clancy and J. K. Rowling.

A Time to Kill – (152 million USD)

The storyline of the debut of Grisham, A Time to Kill is based on a rape case that happened in Mississippi. Carl Lee Hailey, one of the central characters of this story murders two men who raped his daughter because Carl did not have any faith in the government.

The Chamber – (22.5 million USD)

A young lawyer named Adam Hall fights to win clemency for his grandfather who is on death row for the execution of two Jewish boys.

The Rainmaker – (45.91 million USD)

A charming and inexperienced law school graduate Rudy decides to fight for a boy who is suffering from leukemia and the insurance corporation denies offering money for his operation.

Runaway Jury – (80.2 million USD)

A law case concerning a workplace shooting in New Orleans. Celeste sues the company Vicksburg Firearms which is responsible for manufacturing the weapon by which her husband was killed. However, the law and jury are involved in this case making it more dirty and unbearable.

Christmas with the Kranks – (96.46 million USD)

This story is definitely for every age and it is successful in offering the winter-Christmas vibe. The Kranks surprise everyone with the news that they will not celebrate Christmas this year, but the moment their daughters decide to come home, they arrange a perfect Christmas.

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