Marvel Barely Makes Top 10 Best Movie Franchises of All Time

There have been 13 movies in the X-Men franchise, which according to movie box-office aggregator The Numbers is the eighth-highest-grossing franchise in motion-picture history based on inflation-adjusted domestic box office numbers. Various installments of the action-adventure series star Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Ryan Reynolds, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, and Michael Fassbender, among others. The highest-rated film in the franchise, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014), holds a 90% Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score.

One of the most successful animated television shows of all time – about the goofy adventures of marine life characters – also became a hit on the big screen. The first film, “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” (2004), led to two more motion pictures – “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water “(2015) and “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” (2020).

The original “Planet of the Apes” – co-written by “Twilight Zone” creator Rod Serling – about highly intelligent apes who surpass humans in nature’s pecking order after a nuclear apocalypse, launched the franchise in 1968, earning critical and audience acclaim. There are nine movies in the series – five in the original franchise group, and four in the reboot, starting in 2011.

This action-comedy series about a fictional British spy organization, based on a comic series of the same name, has had three installments so far: “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014), “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (2017), and “The King’s Man” (2021). A fourth, “Kingsman: The Blue Blood,” is due out in 2023. Taron Egerton, who later appeared as Elton John in “Rocketman,” starred in the first two films.

Clint Eastwood created the role of cynical San Francisco detective Harry Callahan, who administers justice against criminals, terrorists, and corrupt cops through the barrel of a gun. The movie resonated with audiences who believed crime had gotten out of control on America’s streets and it became the bane of civil libertarians. Eastwood starred in all five films of the franchise: “Dirty Harry” (1971), “Magnum Force” (1973), “The Enforcer” (1976). “Sudden Impact”(1983), and “The Dead Pool” (1988).

With 12 movies released beginning in 2002, Spider-Man checks in as the fifth highest-grossing film franchise of all time, pulling in $3.91 billion, according to The Numbers. The superhero based on the Marvel Comics character who acquires special powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider has been played by Tobey Maguire in the Sam Raimi-directed films, Andrew Garfield in the Marc Webb-helmed movies, and Tom Holland in the Marvel Cinematic Universe versions.

The acclaimed British trip series stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as two rootless Englishmen approaching middle age who set off on adventures. Four movies were made in the series: “The Trip” (2010). “The Trip to Italy” (2014), “The Trip to Spain” (2017), and “The Trip to Greece” (2020).

Based on a series of novels by Thomas Harris about a serial-killing cannibal who was originally a forensic psychiatrist, the Hannibal Lecter franchise is among the most horrifying in movie history. Of the five films in the series – “Manhunter” (1986), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), “Hannibal” (2001), “Red Dragon” (2002), and “Hannibal Rising” (2007) – “The Silence of the Lambs” is the most famous. The movie won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally). It was the first horror film to win best picture.

This five-film series, released between 1990 and 2012, made Bruce Willis an action star as New York cop John McClane, an adversary of terrorists. The character coined the catchphrase ” Yippie-ki-yay, [expletive]” in defiance of one villain. Audiences on Rotten Tomatoes favored the series over critics by 27 percentage points. “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” was the highest-grossing movie in 1995.

The View Askewniverse is a series of films directed by Kevin Smith that are connected through stories about characters living aimless lives in the suburbs. The franchise is named after Smith’s production company. There are nine films in the franchise, with a tenth on the way. Among the notable fare “Clerks” (1994), “Mallrats” (1995), and “Chasing Amy” (1997).

The original “Ocean’s 11” starred Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford in a heist flick set in Las Vegas. The franchise got new life with the release of four films: “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004), “Ocean’s Thirteen” (2007), which were male-dominated casts that included George Clooney and Andy Garcia, and “Ocean’s 8” (2018), featuring female stars Sandra Bullock, Helen Bonham Carter, and Mindy Kaling.

The sci-fi series set between the 21st and 24th centuries pits humankind, led by the Ellen Ripley character portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, against lethal creatures whose horrifying form was based on the art of Swiss artist H.R. Giger. The series began with “Alien” in 1979 and was followed by the sequels “Aliens” (1986), “Alien 3” (1992), and “Alien Resurrection” (1997). Weaver starred in the first three. Those movies were followed by two prequels, “Prometheus” (2012) and “Alien: Covenant” (2017).

George A. Romero directed a series of zombie films beginning with “Night of the Living Dead” in 1968 on small budgets that spared no expense on violence, gore, and bleak vision of the future, mixing in black comedy and a sly poke at American culture. “Night of the Living Dead” holds a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score among critics. “Dawn of the Dead” (1978) and “Day of the Dead” (1985) were other notable entries in the franchise.

The Mission: Impossible franchise grew out of the television series of the same name. Six films, all starring Tom Cruise, have amassed box-office gross of $1.6 billion since the franchise’s debut in 1996, with another film set to be released in either 2023 or 2024. Cruise plays special agent Ethan Hunt, who leads a team tasked with thwarting various plots for world domination. The series is famous for its extensive chase scenes, in many of which Cruise himself performs. “Mission: Impossible 2” was the top-grossing film in 2000.

Based on The Numbers data for box-office gross, the Star Wars franchise, begun in 1977, is the second-biggest movie franchise ever. The franchise that launched Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford among others into stardom, includes 15 films – sequels and prequels – and has box-office gross of $8.09 billion. Four Star Wars movies hold a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 90% or above. Six Star Wars movies have been the top-grossing film for their year of release.

Nine years after the last of his original “Lord of the Rings” films (see No. 4), Peter Jackson directed another trilogy based on the fantasy adventure novels by English author J.R.R. Tolkein, drawing additional material from appendices Tolkein added to “The Lord of the Rings,” the last of his “Rings” books: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (2012), “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (2013), and “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” (2014). The trilogy centers around Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who sets out with a group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home, and the gold within. All three films star Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, and Richard Armitage.

The infectious song in the comedy asked “Who ya gonna call?” – and the answer of course is “Ghostbusters.” The first two films in the series starred Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd as owners of a business that expels misbehaving paranormal beings. An all-female “Ghostbusters” film starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones was released in 2016.

“Despicable Me,” an animated film, features the voice of Steve Carell as a criminal mastermind with a warm heart for kids. It is one of the newer franchises on the list, debuting in 2010, and quickly becoming a favorite of children. The five films in the franchise have had a total domestic box office gross of $1.71 billion.

Hunger Games is a four-movie series set in the future in which a boy and girl are pitted against each other in a televised fight to the death. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth appeared in all four movies and Francis Lawrence directed three of them. The franchise debuted in 2012 and has had domestic box-office gross of $1.63 billion, according to The Numbers.

Capitalizing on the appeal of the cult status of the television series of the same name, “Star Trek” first came to the big screen in 1979. “Star Trek: the Motion Picture” featured virtually the entire cast from the TV series, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and Nicole Nichols. The film wasn’t well received by critics but audiences loved it, and it spawned five more films with the original cast. Two more reboots followed – Patrick Stewart took the helm of the starship in 1994 for four films and Chris Pine played a younger Captain Kirk for three movies starting in 2009. Star Trek is the 11th-highest grossing franchise, with a box-office take of $2.61 billion.

The Muppets were TV puppets with personality, sprung from the imagination of puppeteers Jim Henson and Frank Oz, to the delight of generations of children. There have been eight Muppets movies since 1979, featuring guest stars such as Tim Curry, Ricky Gervais, David Alan Grier, Amy Adams, Rashida Jones, and Tina Fey.

The Matrix movie franchise consists of four feature films: “The Matrix” (1999). “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” (both 2003), and “The Matrix Resurrections” (2021). The first three films were written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. The series is about the rise of an artificial intelligence system that imprisons humanity, and the attempt by humans (Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Laurence Fishburne) to free the world from its influence. The series has been influenced by Hong Kong action movies and is famous for its highly choreographed action scenes.

The Evil Dead frightfest franchise consists of four films – “The Evil Dead” (1981), “Evil Dead II” (1987), and “Army of Darkness” (1992), and a 2013 revival, “Evil Dead.” The plot revolves around the discovery of an ancient Sumerian text in a remote log cabin that when read unleashes horror on the occupants.The first three movies were written and directed by Sam Raimi. Bruce Campbell starred as the protagonist in the four movies.

The revered Peanuts comic strip characters created by Charles Schulz that graced television screens on specials beginning in the mid-1960s reached movie theaters in 1969 with the movie “A Boy Named Charlie Brown,” and four other films followed.

The series that brought J.K. Rowling’s adolescent wizard to motion picture screens was a smash from the outset. Eight movies were released between 2001 and 2011 starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as the three leading characters – Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. A spin-off prequel series, planned for five motion pictures, started with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” in 2016. Three Harry Potter movies have been the top-grossing film for their year of release.

The adrenalin-fueled Bourne franchise, based on the character Jason Bourne, created by author Robert Ludlum, encompasses five films. The first movie in the series, “The Bourne Identity,” was released in 2002. Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin afflicted with dissociative amnesia pursued by CIA operatives and paid assassins. Damon appeared in four of the five movies, which have grossed $1.06 billion at the box office.

To All the Boys is a movie franchise about teenage romance told in feature films and a spin-off television series written by Jenny Han. The series starred Lana Condor and Noah Centineo. The plot focuses on a shy teen girl who writes letters she has no intention of sending to boys she has crushes on. The movies show her experiences after the letters are received by the young men. The three films are “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”(2018), “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” (2020), and “To All the Boys: Always and Forever” (2021).

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the motion-picture industry’s overall top movie franchise, and within the franchise there are sub-franchises about particular superheroes. There are three Iron Man films – “Iron Man” (2008), “Iron Man 2” (2010), and “Iron Man 3” (2013). Iron Man is billionaire engineer Tony Stark, who creates a weaponized suit of armor to battle evil. Robert Downey Jr., who plays the title role, and Gwyneth Paltrow have appeared in all three films.

Kung Fu Panda is an animated three-movie franchise featuring Po, an oafish, overweight panda, selected to protect his homeland against various enemies. The voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, and Angelina Jolie are heard in each film – “Kung Fu Panda” (2008), “Kung Fu Panda 2″ (2011), and Kung Fu Panda 3” (2016).

The Indiana Jones movie franchise is director Steve Spielberg’s homage to action-adventure films from the 1930s. Indiana Jones is a swashbuckling archeologist whose adventures pit him against Nazis in Egypt and cult members in India. Known for its exotic locales and hair-raising brushes with death, the five films in the series have totaled $2.08 billion in domestic box-office gross. Three films in the franchise were the top-grossing movies of their year of release.

The movie franchise, inspired by the construction block toy, began in 2014 with the release of “The Lego Movie.” Two sequels followed: “The Lego Batman Movie” and “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” both released in 2017. The sequel to the original film, “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” came out in 2019. The franchise has grossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

The Conjuring Universe is the highest-grossing horror franchise. The movies are dramatizations of actual events experienced by paranormal investigators and their attempts to help those who believe they are possessed by demonic spirits. Actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga star as the paranormal investigators. Eight full-length films and five shorts have been released since 2013. They’ve combined for a gross of $2.1 billion.

The comedy publication National Lampoon took its irreverent humor to the big screen in 1978 with one of that year’s biggest hits, “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” John Landis’ subversive comedy is about a degenerate fraternity that hatches a revenge plan when the college administration attempts to kick it off campus. Other National Lampoon films followed, some of which starred Chevy Chase. National Lampoon films have grossed $846.6 million at the box office.

John Wick is the second action series on our list that stars Keanu Reeves. He plays an assassin who tracks down gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car in “John Wick,” the first of three films in the franchise, which came out in 2014. Chad Stahelski directed it and the other movies in the franchise, “John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017) and “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019).

The dystopian series is set in Australia about a former cop trying to protect his family from lawlessness and unhinged gang rampage after the apocalypse. The first film, “Mad Max,” made Mel Gibson a star, and he starred in two sequels, “Mad Max 2” (1981) and “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” (1985). The fourth movie in the series, “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), starred Tom Hardy in the title role and featured Charlize Theron.

Ip Man is a five-film martial arts-theme franchise based on the life of Ip Man, a martial-arts grandmaster and the teacher of Bruce Lee. The films focus on events in Ip’s life, beginning in the 1930s at the start of the Sino-Japanese War. Donnie Yen stars in all five motion pictures as Ip Man. The first of the series, “Ip Man,” premiered in 2008, and was followed by “Ip Man 2” (2010), “Ip Man 3” (2015), “Master Z: Ip Man Legacy” (2018), and “Ip Man 4: The Finale” (2019). The series scored almost identical positive scores among Rotten Tomatoes critics and audiences alike.

The three Captain America films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011), “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014), and “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) all starred Chris Evans in the title role. A fourth movie, “Captain America: New World Order,” is scheduled for release in 2024. Captain America has almost identical positive reception between Rotten Tomatoes critics and audiences.

The Shaun the Sheep movie franchise is based on a BBC stop-animation series about a sheep in northern England who leads his flock. The first film in the series, “Shaun the Sheep Movie,” was written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton and released in 2015. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it a near-perfect score of 98%. The sequel, “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,” was released four years later and has an RT score of 96%.

The beloved three-film Back to the Future series was a fun time-travel ride with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson. All three movies were directed by Robert Zemeckis. “Back to the Future,” the first of the series that was released in 1985, holds a 97% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was the top-grossing movie in 1985.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers is one of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time. There are four movies in the franchise: “The Avengers” (2012), “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019). The superheroes are based on characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

How to Train Your Dragon, a series of short- and long-form motion pictures created by DreamWorks Animation, is loosely based on the eponymous series of children’s books by British author Cressida Cowell. The three feature films are: “How to Train Your Dragon” (2010), “How to Train Your Dragon 2” (2014), and “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (2019).

Monty Python’s Flying Circus was an English troupe whose absurdist take on the world rewrote the rules of sketch comedy and was immensely influential on both sides of the Atlantic. After success on British television, the ensemble made six motion pictures: “And Now for Something Completely Different” (1971), “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975), “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979), “Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl” (1982), and “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life” (1983), and “Monty Python Live (Mostly)” (2014).

The Before Sunrise trilogy consists of three American romance films directed by Richard Linklater: “Before Sunrise” (1995), “Before Sunset” (2004), and “Before Midnight” (2013). The first film was co-written by Linklater and Kim Krizan, and its sequels were co-written by Linklater. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy star.

The Toy Story series, produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures, consists of four CGI-animated films released over a 24-year period: “Toy Story” (1995), “Toy Story 2” (1999), “Toy Story 3” (2010), and “Toy Story 4” (2019). “Toy Story,” the first movie in the series was the first feature-length film to be made entirely using computer-generated imagery. The series average Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating of 98% is highest of any franchise on the list. “Toy Story 3” was the No. 1 movie in box-office gross in 2010.

There have been 27 versions of Batman on the big screen and director Christopher Nolan’s is the most famous. HisDark Knight Trilogy is based on the superhero Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, who appeared in DC Comics. The trilogy consists of “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008), and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Eleven years before he made the first film in his trilogy “Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Hobbit,” Australian director Jackson made these three fantasy adventure films, also based on the works of the English novelist by J.R.R. Tolkien: “The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001), “The Two Towers” (2002), and “The Return of the King” (2003). The trilogy is one of the most influential film series ever made and among the highest-grossing film series at almost $6 billion worldwide.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the greatest gangster movie franchise ever consists of three films showing the rise and consolidation of mob power in America by one crime family. The first movie is ranked as the third-greatest American film of all time by the American Film Institute and the second movie is considered by many critics as the best sequel ever.

The Apu Trilogy consists of three Indian Bengali-language drama films directed by Satyajit Ray: “Pather Panchali” (1955), “Aparajito” (1956), and “The World of Apu” (1959). The three films comprise a coming of age narrative about the childhood, education, and maturity of a young Bengali named Apu (Apurba Kumar Roy) in the early part of the 20th century.

This Western movie trilogy made Clint Eastwood a movie legend and created the iconic laconic gunfighter known as the Man With No Name. The three movies are directed by Italian director Sergio Leone. The films are: “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), “For a Few Dollars More” (1965), and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966).