In 2008, the indie adaptation of a best-selling YA novel became one of the biggest hits of the year, kickstarting an entire book-to-movie wave that would take over the 2010s. Twilight's impressive success allowed other films like The Hunger Games to establish themselves in Hollywood and become multimillionaire franchises overnight.

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While some received instant love and recognition from fans and critics, most received disastrous reviews and then fell into the background. Despite boasting impressive talent in front and behind the camera, these YA film adaptations failed to snag that coveted place in pop culture.

10 Ender's Game's Half-Baked Characters Overshadowed Its Strong Performances

Asa Butterfield as the title character in Ender's Game

Based on Orson Scott Card's eponymous novel, Ender's Game stars Asa Butterfield as the title character, a young prodigy with a particular talent for space combat tactics. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is readying to launch a military attack on an invasive alien race called the Formics.

Despite its impressive visuals and strong performances, Ender's Game received mixed reviews for its inconsistent tone and half-baked characters. It was also a commercial failure, making only $125 million against a $115 million budget partly due to a targeted boycott from members of the LGBTQ+ community who disagreed with Card's conservative views.

9 The Divergent Series Ended In A Cliffhanger Due To Its Dwindling Popularity

Tris and Four from Divergent.

Divergent follows Shailene Woodley as Tris Prior, a teenager living in a dystopian version of Chicago that has been divided into five distinct factions. When it's time for Tris to be sorted into her ideal faction, she discovers that she's Divergent and can fit into more than one. As this is seen as an anomaly by the government, Tris must keep this a secret for as long as possible.

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The film was financially successful but was criticized for its formulaic and predictable storyline, unfavorably compared to The Hunger Games due to their similarities. Divergent was followed by two sequels: Insurgent in 2015, and Allegiant in 2016. A fourth movie was eventually canceled, ending the film series on a cliffhanger.

8 City Of Ember's Performances Weren't Enough To Justify Its Lack Of Action

Saoirse Ronan as Lina in City of Ember

In 2008, Saoirse Ronan stepped into the world of young adult franchises when she played the lead in City of Ember. The film, based on Jeanne DuPrau's novel of the same name, centers on two teenagers living in an underground city who have just graduated from school and begun their apprenticeships.

Even though City of Ember received kudos for its superb performances and set design, most critics agreed that the film was devoid of any real action and adventure and was a mediocre adaptation of the source. The film was a box-office bomb, only grossing $17 million worldwide despite its $55 million budget.

7 Mortal Engines Had An Elite Writer But Subpar Plot Development

Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan in Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines is set in a world where cities have been set on wheels and wander around trying to absorb smaller settlements. The film follows Hester and Tom, an assassin and historian, respectively, who join forces to travel on the 'hunting ground' between cities as they escape a man named Thaddeus Valentine.

One of the biggest commercial failures of 2018, Mortal Engines was praised for its special effects but criticized for its soulless, subpar plot development. It was co-written by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and starred Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan as the two leads.

6 The Golden Compass Was Lauded For Its Visuals But Condemned For Its Controversial Takes

Lyra and Iorek from The Golden Compass looking at each other

Five years after his success with About A Boy, director Chris Weitz adapted the first novel in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series into a feature film named The Golden Compass. Like the original book, the movie is set in a world where everyone's soul is represented by a spirit animal called a daemon.

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Not even its remarkable cast, which included the likes of Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Sam Elliott, was able to save The Golden Compass from terrible reviews and controversy regarding its take on religion. It won awards for its visual effects at the BAFTAs and Academy Awards but was called uninspired and overly cluttered.

5 Ready Player One Disappointed Audiences Despite Its A-List Director

Tye Sheridan as Wade in Ready Player One

An adaptation of Ernest Cline's 2011 novel, Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan as a teenager trying to win ownership of a virtual reality game called OASIS. On his quest, he allies with other players and strives to beat the game before the CEO of a corrupt corporation can take over.

Ready Player One may have had Steven Spielberg helming the project, but it still disappointed critics and audiences with its overwhelming visuals and its overabundance of pop culture references. In spite of mixed reviews, the film was financially successful and made back over three times its initial $155 million budget.

4 The Giver Had A Great Cast But A Surface-Level Worldbuilding

Jonas talking to The Giver in The Giver

In 2014, award-winning actor Jeff Bridges played the titular role in The Giver. In this dystopian drama, society has been genetically altered to create a false sense of peace and equality. Despite starring other well-known actors like Meryl Streep and Katie Holmes, the film is best remembered for recording artist Taylor Swift's cameo role as Rosemary.

Unlike other young adult movies of the time, The Giver had a much more modest budget of $25 million that it was able to make back easily enough. However, the film was criticized for not delving deep enough into its themes, only delivering a surface-level understanding of the novel it was based on.

3 Chaos Walking's Unstable Production Ruined Its Story & Characters

Viola and Todd with the dog Manchee in Chaos Walking

One of the biggest failures in young adult cinema, Chaos Walking, was based on Patrick Ness' science fiction trilogy about a world where women have gone extinct. The movie stars Daisy Ridley as Violet, a woman who crash-lands on the planet New World, and Tom Holland as Todd, the young man who finds and helps her.

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Chaos Walking was critically panned upon release, with most reviews pointing out its undeveloped characters and lethargic pacing. Most of the film's failings were due to its unstable production, which required several reshoots and audience screenings over a period of three years before it was deemed ready.

2 The 5th Wave Was Considered An Amalgamation Of Terrible Teen Tropes

Cassie and Ben hiding together in The 5th Wave

After participating in successful teen-oriented movies like Hugo and Kick-Ass, Chloë Grace Moretz was cast as Cassie Sullivan, the main lead in the film adaptation of The 5th Wave. The story follows Cassie as she tries to survive an extraterrestrial invasion on Earth after being separated from her family.

The 5th Wave was released in 2016 when the young adult genre had already oversaturated the film industry and was on a steady decline. Critics found the film too derivative of better-executed franchises like The Hunger Games and considered it a lousy amalgamation of various teen and sci-fi tropes.

1 The Host's Negative Reviews Killed Any Possible Movie & Book Sequels

Melanie in The Host

Three years after finding success with Twilight, Stephenie Meyer wrote and published her much less popular sci-fi romance, The Host. The book, set on a post-apocalyptic Earth that parasitic aliens have invaded, was then adapted into a 2013 film starring Saoirse Ronan in her second attempt at succeeding in the YA genre.

The Host is considered one of the worst teen movies of the 2010s for its absurd script and mediocre performances. Despite grossing just over $60 million against a $40 million budget, the film's overwhelmingly negative reviews effectively killed any possible cinematic or literary sequels.

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