Young adult genre: the start
According to Valerie Peterson for Livebout.com, the young adult genre is defined by the Young Adult Library Services Association as:
“those aimed at kids aged 12 to 18 years. In most (if not all cases), the protagonists of the novels fall within those age ranges, and the story is told through teenage eyes.”
Though the target audience is teenagers, this media also appeals to adults. This appears especially true for adults who grew up reading this genre and still read it. It is not only novels; this includes television shows and films that are created and advertised to this demographic. Films that also appeal fall into the romantic comedy market, such as “Clueless (1995),” “Mean Girls (2004),” “Save the Last Dance (2001),” “10 Things I Hate About You (1999)” and many more. What makes this genre a force to be reckoned with is the wave of adapting young adult books into successful franchises. These franchises created what many know as “fandoms.”
Fandoms
Fandoms have been a huge part of pop culture for many years. They often revolve around musical artists, TV shows, movies, games, etc. The term “fandom,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined as ä group of fans of someone or something, especially a very enthusiastic one.”
Fandoms will develop a culture surrounding the project they have chosen and will even develop names for themselves. Examples include “Potterheads” (the “Harry Potter” Fandom) and “Twihards” (the “Twilight” Fandom). Fandoms are the key to how popular a Young Adult (YA) franchise will become. The stronger the fandom, the greater the success. These large fandoms have caused cult-like followings. But these followings won’t always save a franchise.
Early beginnings
The late 90s to early 2000s had many successful young adult films debut, like the previously mentioned “Clueless” (1995) and “Mean Girls” (2004). However, the franchises that laid the groundwork for success in this genre were the launch of both the “Lord of The Rings” and “Harry Potter” series. Both debuted around the same time and saw unprecedented success. While “Lord of The Rings” technically does not fall into the Young Adult genre, many in that age range watch the films. “Lord of The Rings’s” success even saw it hold the record tie of eleven Oscars won for “Return of The King.” It would go on to spawn another successful film franchise, “The Hobbit,” and an Amazon Prime show, “The Ring of Power.”
“Harry Potter” (2001-2011) achieved similar success. After the franchise finished in 2011, it spawned another franchise— “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”—a play called “The Cursed Child,” a video game called Hogwarts Legacy, and a future rebooted television show from Max (HBO). Both of these franchises have a cult-like following that is still going on and will continue for a long time. It is no wonder that more would try to follow this formula in the late 2000s/early 2010s.
“Twilight” (2008)
In the mid-2000s, a phenomenon began with the release of “Twilight” (2008). From this indie budget-funded movie to a roaring blockbuster franchise, the obsession that “Twilight” created was unprecedented. The main aspect that gave the franchise its popularity was the love triangle of the story. It created the culture of picking a “team”—specifically, a team for the female love interest to choose from. The book is about Bella Swan, who moves back to her hometown and encounters a vampire (Edward) whom she falls for. In the next book, she falls for her childhood friend Jacob. It is here the competition between the two boys begins.
The phrase “Team Edward v Team Jacob” quickly caught fire. People created merchandise, and the film trailers were marketed to encourage this. People flocked to midnight premieres in support of the films and, of course, whichever love interest they rooted for.
This sparked a new phenomenon. Authors within the young adult universe started creating love triangles for their audiences and had them pick a “team.” “Twilight” did not invent the love triangle trope, but it sparked a new beginning for future stories to use.
The failed impact
Though franchises like “Lord of The Rings” and “Harry Potter” didn’t need the concept of a love triangle to gain immense popularity, the franchises that followed “Twilight” seemed to believe that they needed one. It became a component of success for both films and television shows that fell into the genre. Film companies leaned towards books that had the same genre and a good fanbase but not always the same element of a love triangle. This proved to be disastrous.
ET Online made an interesting statement on the stereotype when it came to these types of movies:
“If a teen film franchise exists but doesn’t feature a love triangle between one girl and two brooding, dreamy guys, did it ever really exist at all?” asked writer John Boone.
Whilst movie franchises like “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games” (2012) saw box office success, the franchises that followed did not. “Divergent” (2014), a novel adapted into a franchise, had a successful start. However, the rest slumped or reached mediocre success in comparison at the Box Office. Another example is “The Maze Runner” (2014). “The Maze Runner” follows a group of boys in the middle of an elaborate maze that they try to navigate.
While the movies did fairly well, they never saw the same success as their predecessors. There is a reason why love triangles in young adult films in later years brought success. Film companies slowly lost interest in developing Young Adult fiction due to this decline. However, it has recently seen a reemergence.
Streaming services
With the rise of streaming services, the interest in young adult fiction returned but unconventionally. In 2018, Netflix debuted the film “The Kissing Booth.” Its success spawned a three-movie franchise, and it all stemmed from one thing; Wattpad. Wattpad is a popular site for people to write fanfiction. Fanfiction, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “stories involving popular fictional characters that are written by fans and often posted on the Internet.”
The first of this kind was “Fifty Shades of Grey.” However, the franchise is targeted toward adults instead of the young adult age bracket. After the success of “The Kissing Booth,” more Wattpad “books” also got adaptations, such as popular franchises like “After” and the recent film “Beautiful Disaster.” Streaming services have found a way to bring the young adult genre back to the forefront. It created the path for more adaptions, such as the successes of “To All The Boys I Loved Before” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
People have been waiting for the revival of the genre in film as well, and it is now arriving. The next installment of “The Hunger Games” franchise is releasing in a few weeks. ” The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is on track to generate success. Young Adult media is back and, hopefully, here to stay.
