“The Color Purple” and “Mean Girls,” were both Hollywood movies adapted from books (Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple” and Rosalind Wiseman’s non-fiction  “Queen Bees and Wannabees,” respectively), which were then adapted into Broadway musicals, which were more or less the basis for the  newly released movie musicals, “The Color Purple” and “Mean Girls.”

These two are among the ten “intellectual properties” below that have taken similar dizzying cultural journeys. Take the poll: Which of these journeys was most successful? Which least? 

There are many more shows that have bounced back and forth between Hollywood and Broadway — “The Lion King,” “West Side Story,” “Les Miserables” and “Hello Dolly” come to mind — but these have not been such direct-chain adaptations of one another as the following (all them beginning in movieland if not literally Hollywood, stopping off at Broadway, and then going back — or winding up — in Hollywood.) 

Ninotchka/Silk Stockings

1939 Ninotchka, Hollywood movie
Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas star in this movie directed by Ernst Lubitsch stern Soviet woman sent to Paris to supervise the sale of jewels seized from Russian nobles finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she is supposed to detest.
Feb 24, 1955 – Apr 14, 1956: Silk Stockings Broadway musical
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter Book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath and Abe Burrows, with Don Ameche and Hildegarde Neff 
1957 Silk Stockings MGM movie musical with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse

Smiles of a Summer Night/A Little Night Music

1955 Smiles of a Summer Night
A film by Ingmar Bergman: In Sweden at the turn of the century, members of the upper class and their servants find themselves in a romantic tangle that they try to work out amidst jealousy and heartbreak.
Feb 25, 1973 – Aug 03, 1974. A Little Night Music Broadway musical, Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler. Revived in 1979
1977 A Little Night Music movie musical
Directed by Harold Prince (who directed it on Broadway), starring Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ring, Len Cariou

Nights of Cabiria/Sweet Charity

1957 Nights of Cabiria, Federico Fellini  film
In this film by Federico Fellini, Giuletta Masina portrays a waifish prostitute who wanders the streets of Rome looking for true love but finds only heartbreak.
Jan 29, 1966 – Jul 15, 1967 Sweet Charity Broadway musical. revived twice
Book by Neil Simon; Music by Cy Coleman; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields; with Gwen Verdon
1968 Sweet Charity movie musical, also starring Gwen Verdon

Little Shop of Horrors

1960 Little Shop of Horrors Roger Corman movie
1982 Little Shop of Horrors Broadway musical Book and lyrics by Howard Ashman; Music by Alan Menken. Originally Off-Off Broadway, then Off Broadway. (didn’t make it to Broadway until 2003)
1986 Little Shop of Horrors movie musical

8 1/2/ Nine

1963: 8 ½
In this Federico Fellini film starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée and Claudia Cardinale, a harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies.
Jan 29, 1966 – Jul 15, 1967: Nine Broadway musical. Revived in 2003
Book by Arthur Kopit; Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. Starring Raul Julia.
2009: Nine movie musical 

The Producers

1967 The Producers movie
A stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop. Starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder
Apr 19, 2001 – Apr 22, 2007 The Producers Broadway musical. Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan; Music by Mel Brooks. Starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick
2005 The Producers movie musical

The Color Purple

1985 The Color Purple movie
A black Southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades.
Dec 1, 2005 – Feb 24, 2008: The Color Purple Broadway musical. (revived 2015)
Book by  Marsha Norman; Music and lyrics by  Brenda Russell,  Allee Willis and  Stephen Bray.
2023 The Color Purple movie musical

Hairspray

1988 Hairspray movie
In this John Waters movie, plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.
Aug 15, 2002 – Jan 04, 2009: Hairspray Broadway musical Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan; Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman;
2016 Hairspray Live TV musical on NBC

Matilda

1996 Matilda Movie
Danny Devito ,Rhea Pearlman and Mara Wilson starred in an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel about a girl gifted with a keen intellect and psychic powers who uses both to deal with her crude, distant family and free her kind teacher from their sadistic headmistress.
Apr 11, 2013 – Jan 01, 2017: Matilda. Broadway musical Book by Dennis Kelly; Music and lyrics by Tim Minchin; 
2022 Matilda movie musical

Mean Girls

2004 Mean Girls
Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.Written by Tina Fey, starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams.
Apr 8, 2018 – Mar 11, 2020: Mean Girls Broadway musical
Book by Tina Fey; Music by Jeff Richmond; Lyrics by Nell Benjamin;
2024 Mean Girls movie musical

Please try to base your assessment on the whole journey, not just where it wound up.