The modern young adult boom can trace its roots back to the success of the
Harry Potter adaptations at Warner Bros. Collectively, the eight films in the original series grossed $7.7B, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film franchise in the world. Of course, the box office was the tip of the iceberg. There are the television rights, merchandising, and theme park options to consider. Estimates place the value of the
Harry Potter multimedia empire at around $25B.
Naturally, every other studio in Hollywood wanted a piece of that. Production companies eagerly snatched up the film and television rights to every young adult property that they could find. The influence of