Chances are, you may or may not have stumbled upon the infamous website known as Wattpad. The website created for writing and publishing stories has now taken these books to the big screen. But are they as good in film as they were on paper?
What is Wattpad?
Wattpad was created in 2006 to give users a chance to write, read and self-publish stories. Popularity started to grow tremendously in the mid-2010s.
The website was initially created to support struggling writers produce their work and receive feedback from different users. Many bestselling authors, like Ana Huang and Colleen Hoover, were able to grow their audience via Wattpad.
However, Wattpad had birthed a new genre of literature: fanfiction. To express love and dedication, fans would write stories with characters from a TV show, movie, band or other form of entertainment to express their love and dedication.
The Harry Styles Epidemic
It was specifically fanfiction for Harry Styles, former member of One Direction, that dominated the platform. Romantic stories between a fictional protagonist and the British singer were spreading worldwide.
The stories would vary in content. Some would keep Harry as the “bad boy” popstar, others would fictionalize his personality entirely. A lot of stories tended to avoid a specific protagonist, naming the star “Your Name” (or “Y/N”) to make the story more personal for the audience.
This fanfiction became so popular, some were actually published. Anna Todd, a writer for Wattpad, managed to publish her entire “After” series, which followed the relationship between the popstar and a fictional college student.
While there was contrevorsy, around 2018 the books were adapted into movies; the character of “Harry Styles” had transformed into British, broody college student “Hardin Scott”
Wattpad Studios
The “After” movies were only the beginning. Shortly after, more Wattpad movies were released one after another, like “The Kissing Booth” series and “Beautiful Disaster” starring Dylan Sprouse. Recently, Netflix released a TV show titled “My Life With the Walter Boys”, originally based on a Wattpad story created by Ali Novak.
The Wattpad company recognized the advantage of producing romantic comedies from fanfiction created by teenagers. Partnering with companies like Sony, the website created “Wattpad Studios” efficiently delivers more of these movies.
So Bad That It’s GOOD
Unfortunately for Wattpad Studios, these movies essentially became a cinematic joke. “After” had earned an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. “The Kissing Booth” earned a 15%. Stories that were once cherished by teenagers around the world were now considered cringeworthy garbage on the big screen.
So, why is it that viewers keep coming back to it?
This generation has a fixation on media that is so bad, it’s almost good. The feeling of obsessing over a book to watch it come to life is nostalgic. When “My Life with the Walter Boys” was finally adapted into a TV series, everyone was prepared to be blown away. Is it good? Objective. Is it awkward? Maybe. Is it a Shakespearean tale that will be transcribed generations from now? Probably not.
But was it inspiring to see the book you reread countless times as a child on a screen for thousands to watch? Yes!
Although the Wattpad-to-book-to-movie pipeline had a drastic effect on modern entertainment, it has effectively provided many opportunities for both the author and the audience.
Tweet us on X @VALLEYmag with your favorite Wattpad Studios production!
