Veronica Roth's novel Divergent was adapted for the big screen in 2014. It is a dystopian science fiction film on one hand but is also an action thriller, too. It is the first in the Divergent Series and is sent in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, where people are housed in factions according to their specific qualities and human virtues. On Choosing Day, 16-year-olds are forced to decide which faction they will join for the remainder of their lives. While most people have an aptitude for a single faction, the rare citizens who have aptitudes for more than one faction are called Divergents. The movie's protagonist, Beatrice Prior, played by Shailene Woodley, receives a warning following her aptitude test that she is divergent and must not tell anyone, not even her family. Which faction will she choose? Who can she trust? And how will she keep herself safe with this new, secret bounty placed on her head?
The movie was not a runaway hit with critics. Although the concept of the film was widely praised, and the way in which the action scenes were filmed considered award-worthy, critics nonetheless felt that it didn't compare very well with other adaptations of young adult dystopian fiction, particularly The Hunger Games and The Maze. Despite this lackluster reaction from critics, movie-goers loved the film and on its opening weekend reached the number one spot at the box office, going on to make two hundred and eighty-eight million dollars worldwide. The teen audience, in particular, was responsible for its strong showing; at the Teen Choice Awards, there were wins for Shailene Woodley, as well as for Theo James in the Best Actor category, and for the movie itself which received the Best Action Movie award. The People's Choice Awards also awarded Woodley and James in the Favorite Movie Duo category.
In 2015, a sequel, Insurgent, was released both in America and worldwide. The following year, the final movie of the Divergent trilogy, Allegiant, was released.
