Big screen adaptations almost always disappoint

Book lovers are almost always disappointed by the film adaption of their favourite novel, according to a new survey.

Only Fight Club, The Shawshank Redemption and Bridget Jones’s Diary were preferred on the big screen by people who had already read the original, said the respondents to a YouGov poll.

The recent underwhelming reaction to The Girl on the Train - which hit cinemas with a dull thud last month following critical acclaim for Paula Hawkins’ novel - follows a familiar pattern.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

62 per cent of cinema-goers who had also read the book preferred it, with just 12 per cent opting for the film.

Of 19 film vs book face-offs, 16 saw the celluloid version trail the book by double-digit margins.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - a 1979 book by Douglas Adams which was also an acclaimed radio and TV series - is by far the book more preferred to its Hollywood adaptation. Almost eight in ten people (79 per cent) said that the book was better than the film, with just 8 per cent preferring the 2005 movie.

Other books outstripping their film incarnations in the ratings included Fifty Shades of Grey (67 per cent vs 11 per cent) and The Da Vinci Code (64 per cent vs 14 per cent).

Film Book lovers Film fans

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 54 16

Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the Ring 44 28

Room 56 20

Girl on the Train 62 12

The Hunger Games 56 23

The Da Vinci Code 64 14

Life of Pi 51 30

Bridget Jones’s Diary 34 40

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 66 17

Fight Club 25 58

Shawshank Redemption 26 54

Twilight 49 19

Matilda 44 29

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy 79 8

Fifty Shades of Grey 67 11

Atonement 50 25

PS, I Love You 55 24

To Kill a Mockingbird 62 13

The Shining 48 31

Related topics: