A famous bit on Sacha Baron Cohen‘s Da Ali G Show had the clueless character pitch a literary agent “a book version of The Lord of the Rings” movies. However, a new survey shows a lot of folks don’t know at least two popular movies that were once books.
Seventy-percent of those polled by ThriftBooks didn’t know that Mean Girls and Die Hard were both books before hitting the big screen: Mean Girls was adapted from Rosalind Wiseman‘s 2002 work Queen Bees and Wannabes, while Die Hard was born from Roderick Thorp‘s 1979 page-turner Nothing Lasts Forever.
The survey of 2,000 American book readers revealed 67% preferred the book version to the movie from which it’s adapted, but half of those polled say they prefer to watch a movie first, then pick up its original source.
Respondents don’t mind changes to a story if it improves a movie — but they find straying more than 23% from a source to be a “nuisance.”
The biggest gripe readers have is when a movie’s character drifts too far from their depiction in books — looking at you, Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher — with 52% saying that’s the most bothersome; 27% don’t like it when a movie changes a book’s ending.
The poll also looked into holiday stories, with respondents saying a movie should only be dubbed a “Christmas movie” if there are “Christmas-related characters” or if the movie, “takes place during the season.”
Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas made the cut with 41% of those polled, more than the 26% who celebrate the holidays with Bruce Willis‘ John McClane, and the 20% who say Trading Places is a Christmas must-watch. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan‘s You’ve Got Mail also made that list, according to 14% of those polled.
Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
‘Challengers’ aces the competition with $15 million box office debut
April 29, 2024
MGMChallengers, Luca Guadagnino's romantic tennis drama starring Zendaya, opened in first place at…
Dua Lipa’s “so excited” for ‘SNL,’ anticipating “the maddest experience of my life”
April 29, 2024
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for TIMEDua Lipa has made the list of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in…
Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ debuts with biggest sales in nine years
April 28, 2024
Beth GarrabrantTaylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department had already broken many records on its…
Music notes: Taylor Swift, Bazzi and more
April 26, 2024
Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has scored the biggest opening of an album in the U.K.…
‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy coming back to theaters
April 26, 2024
'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' - New Line/WireImagePeter Jackson's…
Kevin Spacey claps back after ‘Spacey Unmasked’ documentary trailer debuts
April 26, 2024
Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty ImagesThe trailer to Spacey Unmasked, a documentary about Kevin Spacey from…
Doja Cat’s message to parents: Keep your kids away from my concerts
April 26, 2024
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for CoachellaPlenty of artists who have young fans don't seem to have…
New Music Friday: The Chainsmokers, Jason Derulo and more
April 26, 2024
It's New Music Friday, and The Chainsmokers are taking it literally. They've just released a new…