THE Harry Potter film franchise certainly cast a spell on South West cinema-goers, as the region has voted the magical movies as the greatest screen adaptations of all time.

New research by Showcase Cinemas, to celebrate World Book Day, asked 2,000 film fans to name their favourite movies and characters to have made the journey from books to the big screen.

A third (34 per cent) of those polled went for the Harry Potter franchise as the best film adaptation ever, with Schindler's List (25 per cent) in second spot.

The South West's top 10 movie adaptations

1. Harry Potter franchise 
2. Schindler’s List 
3. The Shawshank Redemption 
4. The Lord of the Rings franchise
5. Forrest Gump 
6. Jurassic Park 
7. The Wizard of Oz 
8. The Godfather 
9. 12 Years a Slave
10. The Hunger Games franchise 

Harry Potter himself only came in third place (28 per cent) when it came to the most popular book characters in the South West, though, with James Bond top of the list (36 per cent) and Sherlock Holmes in second (32 per cent).

Potter was a clear favourite with 18 to 24-year-olds, mind you, as almost half of that age group (41 per cent) had him as their favourite character.

Ahead of the (hoped for) release of the latest Bond instalment, No Time to Die, later this year, film fans were also asked which book written by Ian Fleming made the best James Bond film.

Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first instalment as 007, was crowned the winner, with one in 10 (nine per cent) of local film fans voting it as the most popular, ahead of Goldfinger in second place and Live and Let Die in third.

The South West's top movie adaptations by genre

Best action/fantasy movie adaptation: The Lord of the Rings franchise
Best period drama movie adaptation: A Christmas Carol
Best horror movie adaptation: The Silence of the Lambs 
Best romance movie adaptation: Bridget Jones’s Diary series
Best comedy movie adaptation: Mrs. Doubtfire

Which movie adaptation is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.