Hunger Games

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  • Hunger Games

    Mockingjay has now done $257m in US domestic box office in three weeks. In the spirit of 'give me the same, but different!' --what are the draws to this material?

    The books sold well, but % of teens reading books can't be that high. Is there room for original screenplays in this market, or does there have to be a book series to get a greenlight? Some hits and misses in this sector over the years...Harry Potter, Enders Game.

    What do people think are the features that make this saga successful?

    Marketing? Story? Relatable Characters? Young folks put into life and death situations? Empowerment? Escapism...wanting to be there?

    I was about to start working out a story with some college age characters, but I'm starting to rethink that and consider 16-17 year olds as the main characters.

  • #2
    Re: Hunger Games

    IMO, it resonates because of empowerment. Individual young people doing something to make a difference in an Orwellian universe. Look around: sh!t career prospects for young people, a bleak future from everything to global warming to GMO, to looming financial crises, to being poisoned or blown up by terrorists -- when, not 'if.' I remember the stories when I was a kid (1970s) about how hard Japanese kids had it. The suicides, the round the clock studying for just a glimmer of a chance at a decent job. We're there in this country. Now. Empowerment, definitely empowerment.

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    • #3
      Re: Hunger Games

      They are based on novels with a huge following. The fans are already there and Hwood knows it. Will they take a chance on some unknown "knockoff"? I doubt it, but you never know.

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      • #4
        Re: Hunger Games

        Originally posted by RogerOThornhill View Post
        Mockingjay has now done $257m in US domestic box office in three weeks. In the spirit of 'give me the same, but different!' --what are the draws to this material?

        The books sold well, but % of teens reading books can't be that high. ....
        So ... you're saying the books sold but no one really read them?

        The Hunger Games market is heavily tweeners (10-13). They like stories about protags around 16-18 years old. My kid read the first book in fifth grade (10 years old). She finished the last book this past summer (12). In between she's gotten hooked on Divergent and the next book in that series is on her Xmas list. Her friends are reading these books too.

        I think that's the sweet spot for tweeners because of the inherent anxiety about growing up, about their future. And - like nativeson said - it's all about empowerment.

        Can you skip the mega-selling book stage and run with an original script for this market? If it's a killer script, perhaps.
        Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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        • #5
          Re: Hunger Games

          This trilogy has enormous appeal beyond teens. To ignore that will confuse you. Adventure, action, romance, subversion, rebellion against oppression in a dystopian future -- told from a girl's perspective for a change...what's not to like?

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          • #6
            Re: Hunger Games

            Originally posted by canela View Post
            This trilogy has enormous appeal beyond teens. To ignore that will confuse you. Adventure, action, romance, subversion, rebellion against oppression in a dystopian future -- told from a girl's perspective for a change...what's not to like?
            this, exactly this... Hunger games are the Planet of the Apes, Logans run, Star wars of this generation only through the genius of marketing they've managed to squeeze 4 films from the material
            I heard the starting gun


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