made it big overnight when her books were finally published by
Bloomsbury in 1996, after several publishers turned it down.
Her latest book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was the
top-selling book of 2000 with seven million hardcover sold.
Recent studies have shown an impressive increase of interest
in books, proving that perhaps entertainment consumers are as
focused on movies as they once were. Of course all of J.K.
Rowling's Harry Potter novels are destined for the silver screen
because of the interest generated in its novel form.
Another great example of the new-found popularity of novels is
the Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown who is also the author of
Digital Fortress and Angels and Demons. Ron Howard has signed to
direct the film with Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou starring in the
lead roles.
Hollywood only means an extension of that success brought upon by
the books.
This is a good sign that Hollywood conventional box-office hits
are not satisfying audiences anymore and men and women alike have
started to look for more ways to expend their minds and be
entertained.
This may also explain the phenomenal popularity of independent
films in the last decade, because the filmmakers bring to the
table a fresh new look at the world. Such films are Quentin
Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, Napoleon Dynamite, Open Water, Primer
and Machiavelli Hangman.
These films like Open Water, Primer and Machiavelli Hangman do
not have the fancy high-budget special effects of a Steven
Spielberg film. However, they do portray realistic people in
realistic situations and the audience relates to their
predicaments.
It seems that as time progresses, the independent market is more
willing to accept lower budgets.
Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs cost $1 million, Open Water and
Napoleon Dynamite both cost $500k, and Machiavelli Hangman cost
only $150k.
The face of Hollywood is changing. Many believe that we will be
sacrificing the polished look of Classy Hollywood cinema in place
of better human stories. Hopefully we will find a nice middle- ground with the constantly rising and more accessible technology
and find the best of both worlds.