By: Natalie Seibel

            “I’ll wait for the movie.” This comment is made by many when questioned about their readings.  Each year, an average of thirty novels are made into movies.  While many people despise even the thought of their favorite stories being transformed into movies, others are filled with excitement when a beloved novel makes it to the big screen.

              Popular movies, such as the Harry Potter series, Twilight series, I Am Legend, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, P.S. I Love You, and Silence of the Lambs were all created from books. In the ten years since the first Harry Potter book was published, the series has sold 325 million copies. Through the first six movies, the Box Office statistics list over one billion dollars worth of ticket sales. Clearly, the Harry Potter series has captivated an enormous audience, through writing and through film.

              Dedicated book readers may accuse people of being too lazy to read the book and therefore only watch the movies.  Are movie writers losing creativity?  Are the readers’ perceptions of characters and settings ruined?

              “I cannot even watch Twilight,” said Ms. Nicole Borman, President of the Book Club, “I walked out of the theater after fifteen minutes.”  Borman believes the movies are completely ruining the books, and many Book Club members agreed.

              On the other hand, sometimes books being turned into movies can be a good thing because, “Some people are visual learners,” commented Borman, “It is always nice to see different interpretations of art.”

              The continuous debate among book readers and movie viewers may have no end, but the marriage between the two has produced tremendous profits for both authors and movie studios; no meeting with a divorce lawyer is in sight.