27 Greatest Movies That Were Books First

These greatest movies that were books first are all worth a watch and read, but which is better, the book or the movie?

27 Greatest Movies That Were Books First

Some of the best movies started out as books, and film bosses are always on the lookout for the next big adaptation opportunity. Yet another screen adaptation of all-time classic “Little Women,” directed by Greta Gerwig, debuted on Christmas Day last year. And you’ll soon be able to catch Amy Adams and Gary Oldman in “The Woman in the Window” (based on A.J. Finn’s bestselling thriller).

Book-to-film projects are always something to get excited about. Here are 27 of the best movies that were books first, ranked by their audience scores on both Goodreads and Rotten Tomatoes. Each one is worth a watch and a read. But that, of course, begs the crucial question: Which is better — the book or the movie?

27. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Book Release Date: Jan. 6, 2015

Movie Release Date: Oct. 7, 2016

Goodreads Score: 3.92 (out of five)

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 49 (out of 100)

Combined Score: 52.92 (out of 105)

British author Paula Hawkins’ 2015 thriller “The Girl on the Train” was dubbed “the next ‘Gone Girl’” (more on that later) by many reviewers, but it surpassed Gillian Flynn’s novel in terms of sales, breaking records and making Hawkins one of the richest authors in the world.

The film rights to “The Girl on the Train” were acquired in 2014 (by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Pictures) before the book was even published, and the multimillion-dollar end result — starring Emily Blunt in the lead role as downtrodden alcoholic divorcee Rachel Watson — was released in 2016. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t do nearly as well as the book.

26. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Book Release Date: April 10, 1925

Movie Release Date: May 10, 2013 (most recent film adaptation)

Goodreads Score: 3.92

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 51.67 (average for the three films rated)

Combined Score: 55.59

* Because some books have been made into various film adaptations, we averaged the Rotten Tomatoes scores for all films that were ranked on the review site.

Published in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” takes the reader back to the Roaring Twenties and into the decadent, glamorous world of millionaire Jay Gatsby and the object of his obsession, Daisy Buchanan. The classic novel is taught in American classrooms across the U.S.

It’s been adapted for the big screen five times, with the most notable released in 1974 (starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow) and 2013 (with Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan in the lead roles). Unfortunately, the film adaptations have never matched the success of the book.

25. The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

Book Release Date: Oct. 5, 2005 (first book)

Movie Release Date: Nov. 21, 2008 (first movie)

Goodreads Score: 3.63 (average for all four books)

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 64.8 (average for all five movies)

Combined Score: 68.43

Stephanie Meyer’s four-book series of vampire-themed fantasy romance novels, released annually from 2005 through 2008, led to one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.

Kristen Stewart played teenage protagonist Bella, while Robert Pattinson took the role of her love interest Edward Cullen, a 104-year-old vampire. Unlike the books, however, Hollywood broke up the four-part series into five movies, with “Breaking Dawn” split up into two parts.

24. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Book Release Date: March 20, 2012

Movie Release Date: Dec. 3, 2014

Goodreads Score: 4.01

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 75

Combined Score: 79.01

The 2012 memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” is Cheryl Strayed’s account of how her 1,100-mile hike turned into a life-changing journey of self-discovery. A New York Times bestseller, it was the first selection for Oprah Winfrey’s book club 2.0, and it came as no surprise when Strayed announced it was being made into a movie.

With a dream team on board — Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay, and Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern played Strayed and her mother, respectively — it was a critical and commercial winner, earning Witherspoon and Dern Oscar nominations for their performances.

23. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Book Release Date: Sept. 14, 2008 (first book)

Movie Release Date: March 23, 2012 (first movie)

Goodreads Score: 4.22 (average for all three books)

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 76.75 (average for all four movies)

Combined Score: 80.97

Fans of dystopian sci-fi novels devoured Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” trilogy. It was so popular that it was only a few years before Jennifer Lawrence played the star role as the feisty teenage heroine, Katniss Everdeen.

Each of the movie adaptations — “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” and the two-part “Mockingjay” — were huge box office hits.

22. Atonement by Ian McEwan

Book Release Date: 2001

Movie Release Date: Sept. 7, 2007

Goodreads Score: 3.91

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 80

Combined Score: 83.91

Ian McEwan, who is considered to be one of the U.K.’s finest contemporary writers, is best known for his 2001 novel “Atonement.” Set over three time periods (1935, World War II and present day), it deals with some big issues: guilt, forgiveness and the need for personal atonement.

The book was shortlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize for Fiction and included in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 greatest English language novels since 1923. The 2007 movie adaptation, starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan, was also a huge success, winning a BAFTA Award for Best Film, among many others.

21. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Book Release Date: Sept. 30, 1868

Movie Release Date: Dec. 25, 2019 (most recent)

Goodreads Score: 4.08

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 81.4 (average for all five movies)

Combined Score: 85.48

“Little Women” has entertained readers for generations with the timeless themes of love, death, war and family conflict. It follows the four Marsh sisters who struggle to survive during 19th-century New England. Alcott based the novel on her own experiences that were similar to the lead character, tomboy and author-to-be Jo. Fun fact: Alcott’s father ran in the same circles of great American authors Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Of course, the book has been adapted for the big screen several times throughout the years. We counted five film adaptations, but the most popular ones were the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder and the most recent version starring Saoirse Ronan. Interestingly enough, both of these movies were directed by women.

20. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Book Release Date: June 26, 1997 (first book)

Movie Release Date: Nov. 16, 2001 (first movie)

Goodreads Score: 4.53 (average for all seven books)

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 81.88 (average for all eight movies)

Combined Score: 86.41

When J.K. Rowling was a single mom on benefits, writing a story about a boy wizard in her spare time, she probably didn’t imagine it would one day become a bestseller that would be published in 80 languages.

“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was the first of seven Harry Potter books, each of which was made into a movie (apart from the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” which — as any devoted Potterhead will confirm — had enough material for two films). We, of course, couldn’t imagine a list without this series and are actually surprised it didn’t rank much higher among audiences.

19. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Book Release Date: Sept. 23, 1997

Movie Release Date: Dec. 16, 2005

Goodreads Score: 4.12

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 83

Combined Score: 87.12

Arthur Golden’s debut historical fiction novel, “Memoirs of a Geisha,” tells the story of fictional geishas working during and after World War II. It was a runaway bestseller and caught the attention of Red Wagon’s Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher, who bought the filming rights for $1 million.

The movie version, released in 2005 and starring Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li, received mixed reviews, but it was a commercial success and won many awards, including Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.

18. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Book Release Date: Oct. 1, 1996

Movie Release Date: June 25, 2004

Goodreads Score: 4.1

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 85

Combined Score: 89.1

Nicholas Sparks’ first published novel “The Notebook” became a worldwide success after being rescued from the slush pile by agent Theresa Park. Its real-life love story (based on the grandparents of Sparks' ex-wife) won the hearts of millions, and it hit The New York Best Seller List in its first week.

Eight years later, it was made into a movie starring Rachel McAdams (in her breakout lead role) alongside Ryan Gosling. Interestingly enough, the two actors argued a lot on set but later ended up dating, giving audiences a happy ending (if only momentarily).

17. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Book Release Date: Jan. 10, 2012

Movie Release Date: June 6, 2014

Goodreads Score: 4.21

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 85

Combined Score: 89.21

For “The Fault in Our Stars,” author John Green was inspired by Esther Earl, a teenage girl with thyroid cancer he met at a Harry Potter convention in 2009. The book, published in 2012, is narrated by Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old cancer patient who meets and falls in love with Augustus Waters, who also has cancer.

The book was a huge success; two years later, with Shailene Woodley as Hazel and Ansel Elgort as Augustus, the movie was also a blockbuster.

16. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Book Release Date: April 22, 2012

Movie Release Date: Oct. 3, 2014

Goodreads Score: 4.07

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 87

Combined Score: 91.07

Inspired by the story of Californian Laci Peterson, who disappeared in late 2002, Gillian Flynn wrote “Gone Girl” about married couple Amy and Nick Dunne. Amy disappears without a trace, and Nick is implicated.

It was the perfect material for a Hollywood blockbuster, and two years after the book’s 2012 publication, the movie hit theaters. It was adapted by Flynn herself, directed by David Fincher and starred Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck as Amy and Nick. Let’s just say, marriage hasn’t been the same ever since.

15. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Book Release Date: 1826

Movie Release Date: Sept. 25, 1992 (most recent one)

Goodreads Score: 3.71

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 88 (only one rated)

Combined Score: 91.71

James Fenimore Cooper’s historical novel “The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757” was first published in 1826. Set in the New York wilderness during the Seven Years’ War between France and Great Britain, it was hailed by some as the first Great American Novel.

It has been adapted for TV and film many times, but the most famous is the 1992 version starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, the adopted son of the Mohican chief Chingachgook.

14. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

Book Release Date: November 1957

Movie Release Date: Dec. 22, 1965

Goodreads Score: 4.03

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 88

Combined Score: 92.03

This romantic drama was set in Russia during World War I. The tale depicted the effects of the Russian Revolution on the protagonist, physician and poet Yuri Zhivago. Boris Pasternak’s independent stance upset the USSR so much that the country refused publication of the book in the country until 1987. During that time, the CIA published copies in Russian to secretly distribute it to Russian citizens as a literary weapon during the Cold War. It was so popular that Pasternak received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The 193-minute film received equal praise and earned five Oscar nominations. The Best Picture award, however, went to “The Sound of Music” that year.

13. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Book Release Date: Oct. 30, 1811

Movie Release Date: Dec. 14, 1995

Goodreads Score: 4.07

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 90

Combined Score: 94.07

Jane Austen wrote several novels that were turned into movies, but “Sense and Sensibility” is arguably the most popular. Believe it or not, it was published anonymously with “By A Lady” written on the title page where Austen’s name would have gone. The story follows the three Dashwood sisters who struggle with love and heartbreak.

It’s been adapted a few times for TV and for the stage, but the 1995 film release starred Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant and Kate Winslet. It earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay, making Thompson the first person to win Academy Awards for both acting and screenwriting.

12. Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Book Release Date: Oct. 12, 1958

Movie Release Date: Oct. 5, 1961

Goodreads Score: 3.89

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 91

Combined Score: 94.89

While there aren’t many movies that are better than the book, this might be one of them. Capote wrote this novella about Holly Golightly, a New York socialite that quickly became a favorite character in American fiction.

Audrey Hepburn seemed born to play this role, although she said it was one of her most difficult because she was an introvert playing an extrovert. Regardless, it earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination and also won Best Original Score and Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. “Moon River” was named the fourth most-memorable song in Hollywood history by the American Film Institute (AFI) in 2004.

11. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Book Release Date: Nov. 7, 1990

Movie Release Date: June 11, 1993

Goodreads Score: 4.03

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 91

Combined Score: 95.03

“Jurassic Park,” Michael Crichton’s 1990 sci-fi classic, is responsible for the biggest dinosaur movie franchise of all time. Steven Spielberg adapted the book for the big screen in 1993, after a four-studio bidding war for the film rights.

Empire’s five-star review hailed it as “quite simply one of the greatest blockbusters of all time.” Crichton’s sequel, “The Lost World,” was also adapted for the big screen.

10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Book Release Date: June 11, 1960

Movie Release Date: Dec. 25, 1962

Goodreads Score: 4.28

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 92

Combined Score: 96.28

Gregory Peck won his one and only Oscar for Best Actor in 1963 for his role as lawyer Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In 2003, AFI named Finch the greatest movie hero of the 20th century. But Finch was a hero on paper before he was inspiring moviegoers in theaters around the world. Harper Lee’s novel, published in 1960, was an instant success and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961.

A second generation was introduced to Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman,” which features the same iconic characters about 15 years after the initial story. She wrote the book in the mid-1950s, but it was only just published in 2015.

9. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Book Release Date: Oct. 20, 1955

Movie Release Date: Dec. 19, 2001 (first movie)

Goodreads Score: 4.5

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 92 (average for all three movies)

Combined Score: 96.5

English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel “The Lord of the Rings,” which he wrote in stages between 1937 and 1949 and published in three installments in 1954 and 1955, is one of the best-selling books of all time.

That’s partly due to Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation, which introduced the Tolkien brand to a whole new generation of readers — one-third of the 150 million copies sold to date were bought after the release of the first film in the series.

8. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Book Release Date: Sept. 6, 2016

Movie Release Date: Jan. 6, 2017

Goodreads Score: 3.94

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 93

Combined Score: 96.94

The never-been-told-before story of the crucial role that African American female mathematicians played in America’s space program was a New York Times Bestseller and was quickly made into a movie that was met with equal praise.

Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae starred in the movie that inspired both females and people of color to dream big. It was nominated for three Oscars and two Golden Globes and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

7. The Shining by Stephen King

Book Release Date: Jan. 28, 1977

Movie Release Date: May 23, 1980

Goodreads Score: 4.23

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 93

Combined Score: 97.23

Lots of Stephen King’s horror novels have been turned into movies, but Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of King’s 1977 release “The Shining” is perhaps the most successful — despite initially opening to mixed reviews.

The lead character, aspiring writer Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) ranked 25th on the AFI’s 2003 list of the greatest movie heroes and villains. The film’s seminal scene, when Torrance hacks his way through a door with an axe, contains one of the most quoted lines in film history: “Here’s Johnny!”

6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Book Release Date: June 30, 1936

Movie Release Date: Dec. 15, 1939

Goodreads Score: 4.3

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 93

Combined Score: 97.3

First published in 1936, Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic American Civil War-era novel “Gone with the Wind” gave the world two of the most famous literary characters: Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. The movie adaptation, released in 1939, starred Vivien Leigh as O’Hara and Clark Gable as Butler. Taking inflation into account, it’s still the most successful film in box office history.

Throughout the years, the film has been criticized for its stereotypical portrayals of African Americans and was temporarily taken off HBO Max as a result in June 2020. The streaming service has since brought the film back, accompanied by two videos that discuss its historical context, including the fact that these depictions were controversial even at the time of the film’s release.

5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Book Release Date: 1982

Movie Release Date: Dec. 16, 1985

Goodreads Score: 4.21

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 94

Combined Score: 98.21

Alice Walker won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction for “The Color Purple,” which focuses on the life of African American women in the 1930s.

It remains one of the best-loved contemporary novels and was made into a movie in 1985, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey in her film debut.

4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Book Release Date: Sept. 1, 1973

Movie Release Date: Sept. 25, 1987

Goodreads Score: 4.26

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 94

Combined Score: 98.26

The 1973 fantasy romance novel “The Princess Bride” by William Goldman (who was also an award-winning playwright who wrote “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men”) wasn’t made into a movie until 1987. For fans of fairytale adventures, it was worth the wait.

With Robin Wright as the titular heroine, starring alongside Cary Elwes and Billy Crystal, it was well-received but didn’t set the box office on fire. However, it has since become a cult classic and was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2016 for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

2. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (tie)

Book Release Date: 1996

Movie Release Date: Oct. 15, 1999

Goodreads Score: 4.19

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 96

Combined Score: 100.19

This book tied with “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in the second spot. Chuck Palahniuk’s first book was a hit and earned him rave reviews as a visionary of his generation. The dark tale takes readers into the underground “fight club” of Tyler Durden, where two men fight “as long as they have to.”

Of course, it’s much more than that, with a main theme of conflict between Generation X and big corporations. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt bring the book’s complexities to life on screen, and it’s since turned into a cult classic. One of the lines audiences everywhere will never forget: “First rule: Don't talk about fight club. Second rule: Don't talk about fight club.”

2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (tie)

Book Release Date: 1962

Movie Release Date: Nov. 19, 1975

Goodreads Score: 4.19

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 96

Combined Score: 100.19

Quite revolutionary for the time, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is set in an Oregon mental hospital, at a time when patients still received electric shock therapy. The book questions institutional processes in the 1960s and discusses the fine line between sanity and madness.

The 1975 film starred Jack Nicholson and was met with much acclaim, winning all five major Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It’s long been considered one of the greatest films of all time, with a No. 33 spot on AFI’s 100 Movies list.

1. The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Book Release Date: March 10, 1969

Movie Release Date: March 24, 1972

Goodreads Score: 4.37

Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score: 98

Combined Score: 102.37

When Mario Puzo’s crime novel “The Godfather” hit bookstores in 1969, nobody expected it to form the basis for what is considered to be one of the most influential films of all time. But the classic mafia tale takes the coveted No.1 spot on our list.

Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation was also the highest-grossing film of 1972 and the recipient of three Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (for Marlon Brando as crime boss Vito Corleone) and Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s ranked the second-greatest film of all time by AFI.