The ever-enduring search for the meaning of life seems to have been temporarily halted by a newer, much more important search: the search for the next box office busting young adult film franchise. It makes sense too, considering the money that the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises brought in and the staggering success of the first Hunger Games film, but so far 2013 has seen a lot of lacklustre performances out of films hoping to become the cornerstone of the next successful series. The next favorite to take over the hole left in the market by Twilight‘s conclusion is the adaptation of Veronica Roth’s YA novel Divergent.
The first trailer for the film premiered at the VMAs, but in case you missed it there, we’ve got the video for you at the bottom of the article. It sets up the dystopian Chicago quite well, which is the home of Tris’ (Shailene Woodley) struggles. The trailer also does a good job of introducing Woodley’s character and the main antagonist, who is played by Kate Winslet. After that, it rushes into a highlight reel of the challenges Tris comes up against.
While I can’t possibly say with any certainty whether this will be a hit, just from the initial trailer it looks to follow the same style as The Host, which was a disappointment, barely making over $25 million. For those who don’t know the story of Divergent, it takes place in a world where teenagers are divided into five different factions based on their personalities (see The Breakfast Club). Beatrice Prior unwittingly poses a threat to the system because she doesn’t fit into any of the approved groups, also known as being divergent. Because of this, she must be eliminated.
Even though there’s nothing about that story that sounds overly exciting or innovative, the book is very successful, Woodley is a talented actress, and Director Neil Burger (Limitless) definitely has the skill to make this a success. The film opens March 21, 2014, so we’ll have to wait until that weekend before we can really tell if Divergent is the next YA money-maker.
Check out the trailer below and then head down to the comments section to share your thoughts about Divergent.
