Movie franchises are a result of successful films; if a first picture does well at the box office, there’s a good chance a second and third will follow suit. This strategy has produced both adored film series and some forgettable sequels. Hollywood is hoping that a widespread COVID-19 vaccination programme will entice moviegoers to return to theatres, but content is just as important. The top franchises, which have supported the worldwide box office for decades and have the potential to boost ticket sales during a period when movie theatres are having difficulty, are listed by CNBC. These franchises include Marvel, James Bond, Fast & Furious, and Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
With almost $29 billion in revenue from 33 films, Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Franchise is the highest-grossing film franchise ever. Having released 23 pictures in just 12 years, this is one of the busiest series in movie history. The MCU has made over $22.5 billion at the worldwide box office since 2008, with “Avengers: Endgame” becoming the highest-grossing movie ever. Ten television series and at least a dozen additional theatre presentations are planned for the tale.
Star Wars
Twelve of the non-superhero films in the Star Wars series have made over $10 billion in revenue. The franchise has a history of economic success. Star Wars: A New Hope, the first trilogy, brought in $775 million, but after accounting for inflation, it brought in $2.5 billion. With ticket sales of almost $2.07 billion, The Force Awakens is the highest earner. While Patty Jenkins is slated to helm “Rogue Squadron” in 2023, Disney is concentrating on Disney+. The studio has also asked Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and Taika Waititi to helm their own Star Wars films. There are rumours that Rian Johnson is developing his own Star Wars trilogy.
Harry Potter
The eleven films of the Harry Potter series, which is based on J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World books have brought in about $10 billion at the box office. These films consist of three Fantastic Beast features and eight Harry Potter films. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first movie, brought in more than $963 million. Since the debut of The Boy Who Lived in 2001, the series has expanded. Additionally, Warner Bros. released the Fantastic Beasts television series, which centres on Newt Scamander and the protracted conflict between Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore. The series has brought in $9.18 billion at the box office worldwide.
Spider-Man
Marvel Comics character Spider-Man has starred in ten films and made approximately $9 billion. Similar to Batman, he has also enjoyed popularity as a solo character, receiving reboots and reimaginings. Spider-Man has also been popular in the animation genre; $1.06 billion was made by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its follow-up. Spider-Man: No Way Home was his most profitable film, grossing $1.92 billion. Since 2002, Spider-Man has starred in seven stand-alone live-action films, grossing $6.3 billion at the box office worldwide. There are only films in the franchise where Spider-Man is the primary hero.
James Bond
The protagonist of the roughly sixty-seven-film-strong James Bond series is British Secret Service agent 007. Over two dozen times, the series has rescued the world, with Bond battling a sinister conspiracy or diabolical genius in every episode. The series’ income and popularity have increased since 1962; Daniel Craig’s 007 in Skyfall brought in over $1.1 billion. 24 James Bond films have brought in more than $6.89 billion worldwide since their first in 1963. Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig are the seven actors who have played James Bond. “No Time to Die,” the 25th James Bond movie, is scheduled for release in October.
Fast & Furious
American media franchise Fast & Furious focuses on heists, street racing, spies, and family. Once a street racing film, it has developed into one of the highest-grossing franchises and an international espionage action series. Since its debut in 2001, the franchise has brought in around $6 billion at the worldwide box office with 10 features, a spin off, and two more in development. The highest-earning movie, Furious 7, has made almost $1.5 billion in total.
The DC Extended Universe
The American media property known as the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is built on superhero movies and television shows that are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and produced by DC Studios. With some fantastic films like Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey mixed in with some duds like Black Adam and Suicide Squad, it seeks to emulate the cinematic enchantment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans are enthused about the new DCU even though it ended with James Gunn’s promotion. In the past seven years, the studio has released nine interrelated films, grossing $5.6 billion in worldwide ticket sales.
Batman
Along with Superman and Wonder Woman, Batman is one of DC’s “Big Three” and has been a well-liked figure in comic books, TV series, movies, and video games for almost a century. With 17 films in the series, including 10 live-action and 1 animated, the box office receipts for the franchise have come to around $5 billion. Actors such as Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Robert Pattinson have all portrayed the legendary character. The brand is frequently combined into a single entity, with “Justice League” excluded because of its cooperative character.
X-Men
Since its 2000 release, the American superhero film series X-Men, which is based on Marvel Comics, has expanded to 13 films, including the Wolverine and Deadpool series. Globally, the series has sold tickets for more than $6 billion. Even though they aren’t part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Fox’s X-Men flicks and Disney’s MCU are anticipated to combine in the upcoming years. Disney acquired Fox’s entertainment holdings in 2019, therefore Deadpool and the Fantastic Four will be part of the series.
Jurassic Park
The iconic 1990s film series Jurassic Park centres on the return of dinosaurs to an amusement park. When it debuted in 1993, the first movie shattered box office records and made $1.05 billion. With a $1.67 billion global box office haul, the most recent film, Jurassic World, starring Chris Pratt, eclipsed the popularity of the original. Using the most recent advancements in visual effects technology, the second trilogy profited on the first’s nostalgic appeal. Jurassic Park has made an astounding $4.99 billion at the box office worldwide with five films. In 2022, the sixth episode is scheduled for release.
The Lord of the Rings
Based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings is a television series and a collection of epic fantasy adventure films. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are part of the franchise, and both did well at the box office. The first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey, and the third instalment of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, both brought in over $1 billion at the box office. Six films in the Middle Earth movie franchise have brought approximately $5.86 billion at the box office worldwide. The content has been optioned by Amazon for a Prime Video television series.
Transformers
Hasbro and Takara Tomy are the producers of the Transformers media brand, which centres on the Autobots and Decepticons, two factions of extraterrestrial robots. At the movie office, the series has consistently done well despite controversy and unfavourable reviews. While plots and character development are limited, viewers and critics commend the visual effects and action scenes. Over the past 20 years, Paramount has had success with the franchise, with six films and $4.86 billion in box office revenue worldwide. Strong overseas ticket sales have also benefited the series.
Avatar
The epic science fiction movie series Avatar is an American media brand that also includes video games, memorabilia, and theme park attractions. James Cameron created the franchise, which with the release of Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, broke box office records. With $2.92 billion in revenue, Avatar continues to hold the record for the largest box office profits ever. Though it took more than ten years to produce, the follow-up film Way of Water became the third highest-grossing film in history and generated enough revenue to finance more Avatar films. Based on the number of films made, Avatar is the highest-grossing series in movie history.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Based on a theme park attraction created by Walt Disney, the Pirates of the Caribbean film series is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler. With just five films released, the series is still the sixth highest-grossing franchise worldwide, with two of its films generating more than $1 billion apiece. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer announced a sixth instalment, starring Margot Robbie, despite the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp. Disney has distributed five Pirates of the Caribbean films globally since the premiere of “Curse of the Black Pearl,” bringing in nearly $4.52 billion. Disney may be making a sixth movie, according to rumours, although no official announcements have been made.
Mission Impossible
American action espionage film series Mission: Impossible is based on Bruce Geller’s 1966 TV series. The franchise, which debuted in 1996 with Tom Cruise in the role of Ethan Hunt, has had sequels every four to five years. At the worldwide box office, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, the most current chapter, brought in over $567 million. The franchise is anticipated to top the movie office once more since an eighth chapter is now in development. Even though the series receives mixed reviews, it regularly turns out some of the top action films in the business; among the most-watched action films in the last five years is Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
Conclusion
Top Hollywood brands like James Bond, Marvel, Fast & Furious, and Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe have contributed significantly to movie office receipts worldwide. Since 2008, the highest-grossing movie franchise, Marvel Cinematic Universe, has brought in over $22.5 billion. The DC Extended Universe has made $5.6 billion in global box office revenue. It blends superhero films and television series with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
