What makes a good movie franchise?
A movie franchise begins with the basis of having 3 or more parts in the series, but to make a good movie franchise you must build a strong fanbase. When thinking of a popular movie franchise, a bunch of names come to mind, of course there are the obvious ones: Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Star Wars etc. These classics have come to define the phrase ‘world-wide phenomenon’; making die-hard fans in every corner of the globe, as well as A LOT of money. The definitive tell-tale sign of a successful movie franchise is receiving attention from fans of all ages. When you have fans who were there for the very first premier bonding with fans who were born 10+ years after, it shows the incredible impact of the franchise. Simply put, a good movie franchise should be timeless.
Let’s ask the fans
If you took a room full of people and asked them what their favourite movie franchise was, you would probably get a different answer from everyone, and some may not even be able to give a straight answer. That’s the issue; more times than not, people are huge fans of more than one franchise, (I mean there are so many to choose from- so can you blame them!) making it hard to pinpoint an exact number on the ultimate fan favourite. Movie fans and critics alike have been debating for years what franchise should take that all important No.1 spot to no avail. If you do a quick google search, you’ll find hundreds of websites and forums full of die-hard fans defending their chosen franchise- it can get a little intense.
So how do we decide this age-old question?
First of all, let’s take a look at the statistics; I mean numbers never lie, do they? In recent reports published, the top 10 highest grossest movie franchises were as followed:
1: Marvel Cinematic Universe:
It’s no surprise this is number one on the list. With 27 released films under their belt, Marvel have managed to rake in over $25 billion worldwide, making it officially (in terms of official statistics anyway) the most successful movie franchise of all time.
2: Star Wars:
Following close behind we have Star Wars, with fans old and young alike Star Wars has long become a classic. With over 40 years since the release of the first movie, the minds behind the franchise have done impeccably at keeping it fresh and exciting for its fanbase, successfully securing it a comfy spot on the list of greatest of all time. I mean a worldwide gross income of over $10 billion, c’mon that’s impressive.
3: Harry Potter:
Up next, we have my personal favourite: Harry Potter. With 8 movies to bring the books to life, Daniel
Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) stole the hearts of children and adults worldwide when it first premiered in 2001. What is even more impressive is J.K. Rowling then served up an extension to the beloved franchise: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which generated 3 more movies for fans to adore (the 3rd due to be released in April 2022). To date, the franchises combined have earned a worldwide box-office of over $9 billion.
4: Spiderman:
Now I know what you’re saying: Spiderman belongs to the MCU, and while that is true it also is considered its own franchise. Spidey has managed to swing his way into the top 5 while raking in a box office total of over $8 billion across 11 movies. Peter Parker may not have been able to keep his identity safe but with numbers like that I’m sure he doesn’t mind all the buzz.

5: James Bond:

6: The Lord of the Rings:
7: The Avengers:
itself). Its not hard to see why Marvel are the highest grossing franchise of all time when you have numbers like this. Over 4 movies, Iron man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye have managed to not only save the world from vengeance–filled aliens countless times, but have also raked in a whopping $7.7 Billion for their cinematic universe.

8: Batman:
best movie franchises. Being DC’s most popular hero pays off.

9: Fast and Furious:
movies and 6.6 billion worldwide box-office they show no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

10: DC Extended Universe:

Potter is clearly the best and anyone that says different has a wrong opinion.
So, let us know what movie franchise do you think should be crowned best of all time?
Lauren is a content writer that is creating her own book and aspires to become a published author. While writing content, she also spends her time performing as an actress for different projects presented to her.