YouTubeIf cash is king, then a YA franchise is the secret to success.
One look at box office results—or, better yet, the salaries of Young Hollywood—and you'll find one pattern that prevails: Young adult movies pay off big time. Everyone from starry-eyed teens (you know, the actual intended audience) to mature, self-respecting adults enjoys themselves a good teenage love story with a side of life lessons. And while the aforementioned love stories might be the most plentiful of the genre, today it's all eyes on a more specific category: The post-apocalyptic YA movie.
That's right. You know it, you love it, you can't get enough of the nuclear wastelands and oddly sexy futuristic space leggings. Like The Divergent Series: Allegiant — Part 1 (quite the mouthful, eh?), in theaters today. It's just the latest release in a cultural movement, starring red hot young stars and a crap ton of spaceships.
Since it seems like everyone's clamoring to get a piece of the YA pie, we've created a handy little guide to making your own. If you've watched even one installment of any series, it's easy to see that there's a formula just waiting to be replicated—and cashed in on. Just follow our guide straight to the box office.
1. Constantly switching allegiances. This is how you keep the audience guessing. There need to be at least several members of the main #squad who just cannot be trusted. Channel Allegiant's Peter. Is he a good guy? Is he an a--hole? Nobody knows!
2. A rebel leader who eventually becomes just like the dictator. Consider it a warning to all of mankind, and a little hidden lesson. Humanity is doomed and power breeds evil. Or something like that. Either way, your YA rebel leader isn't a real YA rebel leader unless they become drunk with power and kill a bunch of people, thus destroying the hope of their former followers.
3. Family alliances that make no sense. Blood is thicker than water, guys. Even when the person who shares your blood totally stabs you in the back again and again by taking the side of the evil dictator. But this is a YA movie, and you must make sure your characters never give up on family regardless of how much they totally should.
4. Motivational one-liners. Take President Snow and his "Hope is the only thing stronger than fear." Or Johanna and her "Great leaders don't need power, they're called by the people." CHILLS.
5. Awkwardly-timed sex scenes. There's no better moment to get it on than right after a deadly attack, or right before you head off to your possible death in the rebel war. Sexy!
6. At least one tertiary character death per installment. YA movies should be tragic, but not so tragic that the audience turns against it. This isn't Disney, after all.
7. A well-known actor in a wig. Is that Julianne Moore? We can't tell with the silver lob. And Naomi Watts is completely unrecognizable.
8. Existential and moral lessons about humanity. Young adults need to learn knowledge and stuff from these movies. We suggest offering one of these lessons: How to take care of the planet, how to appreciate people's individuality, how to not discriminate against those born into a different life.
9. An unexplained and constant supply of weapons. Nothing slows down the plot of an apocalyptic movie like the rebel fighters having to search for guns or ammo. The stories take place in the future, and apparently in the future hovercrafts mounted with bombs grow on trees.
10. An ending split into two parts for no reason. Do not question this rule. Just end your movie halfway through, roll the credits, and start a new movie.