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Loyal Book Following Does Not Guarantee Box Office Success, According to Survey of Moviegoers
02/08/2005
Boston, MA February 8, 2005 –- In 2004, 21 of the top 100 movies released in the U.S. were based on books. Hollywood regularly bets that a good book will make a good movie. But how does the public feel about these books and the movies they become? One third of adults have strong feelings about how books should be made into movies. Yet catering to these strong feelings simply guarantees producers won't offend loyal readers – it doesn't necessarily translate into box office success.Film producers take note: the movie will have to stand on its own right for most viewers without betraying the book for a small but vocal group of readers. An overwhelming 80% of moviegoers say they prefer to see a movie that is true to the original book. Yet, even the majority of those people do not read the books that produced the movies they see. This implies that while filmgoers intend to read the book before seeing the movie, most people do not follow through. For example, while 73% of adults surveyed saw at least one Lord of the Rings movie, only 23% have read at least one of the books. This is even more so for books with less time in print, such as Bridget Jones's Diary, which 34% of those surveyed have seen in theaters or on video, but only 3% have bothered to read.A substantial 52% of people prefer to read the book before they see the movie. But they don't usually follow through, perhaps because the average adult reads for pleasure less than 4.1 hours per week. With so little reading time available, it's no wonder the movie is seen as the path of least resistance. Though not a majority, a substantial 27% of people say they have read a book after seeing a movie, consistent with the now common practice of re-releasing old books with new covers derived from movie posters. "This research study conducted by students at Boston University's College of Communication emphasizes the value behind the numbers," said Jennifer Cooper, the company's Director of Communications. "Hollywood routinely works on instinct or habit without taking the time to see how people really feel. This information helps developers and producers understand the role of a book in the moviemaking process."About the SurveyThe online survey of 515 people 18 years and up was conducted during the last week of October 2004. Sample was randomly drawn from participants in Survey Sampling International's online panel. The margin of error for a probability sample this size is plus or minus five percent. However, this is not a probability sample.About the College of Communication at Boston UniversityThe College of Communication at Boston University is home to the Communication Research Center where professors train undergraduate and graduate students in the science of consumer research and analysis. This project was designed by students under the supervision of Professor James McQuivey.About Llaneza FilmsLlaneza Films, an independent feature development company based in Boston, Massachusetts, has the mission of developing films that create meaning through magic. The firm is currently developing Shannon Hale's critically acclaimed adaptation of a Grimm Brother's Fairy Tale, "The Goose Girl" for the big screen..
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