Harry Potter, Jaws, Sound of Music: Ranking Books That Became Movie Blockbusters

Harry Potter is back today, as a J.K. Rowling bestseller again hits the big screen. From Jaws to The Sound of Music, The Daily Beast ranks the books that became the biggest blockbusters.

Harry Potter is back, as a J.K. Rowling bestseller again hits the big screen. From Jaws to The Sound of Music, The Daily Beast ranks the books that became the biggest blockbusters.

On Friday, audiences around the globe will be swept up in a world full of spells, hormonal wizards, and Quidditch, as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the first half of the Harry Potter film series’ two-part finale, directed by David Yates. The films are, of course, adapted from the bestselling series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J.K. Rowling which have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide, and it’s also the highest-grossing film series of all time.

Gallery: Ranking the 30 Biggest Books-to-Movies

Although everything from children’s toys ( Transformers) to amusement park rides ( The Pirates of the Caribbean) are being fashioned into popular film franchises these days, as any Potter fan or Twi-hard will tell you, the book-to-film adaptation still reigns supreme, which inevitably begs the question: What are the highest-grossing films of all-time based on books?

To rank the highest-grossing films based on books, we used data compiled by Box Office Mojo. Inflation-adjustment was done by multiplying estimated admissions by the latest average ticket price—which in 2010 is $7.95—and where admissions were unavailable, adjustment was based on the average ticket price for when each movie was released, taking into account theatrical re-releases, which were very common for pre-1980 films (especially Disney animated features). So, without further ado, let’s raise the curtain.

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