Lovers of vampire movies were met with severe disappointment by the 2014 adaptation of the first Vampire Academy book to the big screen, which was a staggering fail in terms of execution and critical response. Given the height of the vampire craze in the early 2000s and 2010s thanks to films like Twilight and TV series like Vampire Diaries, it seemed that another film following in those footsteps would be an instant hit just like those, but this was sadly not the case for the ill-fated film. But why did the film which could have easily been a success fail so miserably? The reasons were plentiful.
The biggest reason for the films failure was the astronomical loss the production took to it’s original $30 million budget, barely raking in more than $15 million, half of their original costs. With a net loss of over half of what was put into it, it’s no surprise that any chance of a sequel movie was pulled almost instantly.
Fan disappointment from the film was also a major point against it. Like most film adaptations Vampire Academy didn’t stick very closely to it’s source material, which is always a detriment to films. For fans that came in expecting something close to the first book they were left disappointed, and for those just wanting another teenage vampire flick to relax to, they were met with a half-heartedly comedic movie that fails at comedy just as much as it does with action. Hiring the directors for the film Mean Girls was likely their first mistake in production. Trying to adapt a fairly serious film into a comedy of sorts is not a great way to win over viewers.
Even after so much drama revolving around the failed film, interest to see the series made into live-action continues still. After years of working with the idea, creator of the hit TV series Vampire Diaries, Julie Plec, has plans in motion and a cast set for a 10-episode season to air on Peacock sometime this year, though the dates are still unspecified.
After 8 years from the original flop of a movie, perhaps enough time has passed from the first big vampire craze to give the new series some breathing room to be a success. Given that the plot and writing of the original novels is actually quite good, fans who want to see how the story plays out after the initial book can finally watch with their own eyes the series unfold in live action.
Interested in learning more about the upcoming series? Click here to find out more about what to expect from the latest adaptation!