Book adaptations have always been a go-to source for the film industry. But the last two decades of sequels, reboots, cinematic universes, and live-action remakes have left a lot of us feeling unmotivated to spend our hard-earned dollars on movie tickets and popcorn.

Then came Project Hail Mary. 

The adaptation of Andy Weir’s bestselling novel got people excited to go to the movies again. Not for a franchise installment. Not for a nostalgia-fueled reboot. For an original story that began as a book.

By the time Project Hail Mary hit streaming—after an extended theater run—it had earned more than $600 million worldwide and become one of the biggest theatrical successes of the year. Critics praised it, audiences obsessed over it—even saw it in theaters multiple times—and it’s not the only book adaptation getting attention. 

Whether these stories land in theaters or on streaming services, audiences are showing up for books in a big way. In the last six months, the classic Wuthering Heights and Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid blew out the box office. Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation debuted at number one on Netflix’s ratings. 

Meanwhile, studios are racing to secure rights to authors like Carley Fortune, Rebecca Serle, and Kennedy Ryan—sometimes before books even hit shelves. 

Why Hollywood Keeps Turning to Books

The proportion of adapted material to original screenplays has surprisingly held steady throughout the history of Hollywood—40% of films come from existing IP. But in the past two decades, the money overwhelmingly favors those adaptations.  

Studios have relied on sequels and franchises to bring in box office dollars, but enthusiasm for reboots has waned. Audiences want something fresh. 

Enter the book community. Readers know that books offer the emotional depth and unique stories movie-goers crave. A good story drives box office success, and studios are turning to the book world to bring us back to the theater. 

Books are a safer bet. They come with a built-in audience from fanbases created in communities like BookTok and Bookstagram. Title recognition, the author’s social media following, book sales—studios are set up for a bigger likelihood of success when adapting popular titles.

So can books bring us back to the theaters?

While many adaptations show up on streaming services, like the recent Margo’s Got Money Troubles on Apple TV+ (based on Rufi Thorpe’s novel) or Alice Feeney’s His & Hers on Netflix, book adaptations are increasingly becoming theatrical events. Readers anticipate these films for months—fancasting, sharing trailers, re-reading the books in anticipation. 

Theaters need events—and the book community makes a meal out of seeing their favorite stories on the big screen. 

Romance on the Rise

The 1990s was the height of blockbuster rom-coms, with audiences turning out to see Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, or Sandra Bullock fall in love. Studios moved away from the tried and true genre for a time, but the recent rise of romance authors selling film options offers hope for a big-screen renaissance.

We’re thrilled to see so many She Reads–featured authors optioning books for film and TV.

  • Carley Fortune’s novel Every Summer After is set to stream on Amazon Prime June 10, with two more books optioned. 
  • Rebecca Serle has four books optioned with various streaming services. 
  • Kennedy Ryan made a deal with Peacock to adapt her novel Before I Let Go. 
  • Abby Jimenez announced three of her books have been optioned. 
  • Kristina Forest sold the film rights to The Greene Sisters trilogy.
  • Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis has a deal with Prime Video. 
  • Tia Williams’s novel Seven Days in June is being developed for Prime Video.
  • Ana Huang has a deal with Amazon MGM Studios to develop her Gods of the Game series into a film trilogy.

While most of these adaptations are headed to streaming services, some are making their way to the big screen. Emily Henry may be the clearest example of streaming success translating into Hollywood confidence. She has three books adapted or optioned for streaming, and two headed for theatrical release—Beach Reads and Book Lovers.

The rise of romance makes sense. Romance novels already feel cinematic emotionally, and audiences are craving the intimacy, chemistry, and catharsis these stories offer. After years of world-ending stakes and CGI explosions, audiences may simply be ready to watch two people fall in love again.

The Future of Cinema Might Be Sitting on Your Bookshelf

Maybe audiences never stopped loving movies. Maybe they just stopped feeling surprised by them.

Readers understand something Hollywood is beginning to rediscover: audiences want emotional connection. Project Hail Mary had that in spades. Romance stories might have the expected happy-ever-after, but fans enjoy connecting with the characters—and being surprised by how they find their way to each other.

Book adaptations aren’t new, but Hollywood is clearly betting on them more aggressively than ever. 

And the lineup ahead suggests the trend is only accelerating. Readers are planning rereads and counting down release dates for adaptations like Verity, The Love Hypothesis, Sunrise on the Reaping, Practical Magic 2, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Odyssey.

Hollywood has spent years chasing spectacle. But the stories bringing audiences back to theaters may be as close as our bookshelves.