In a world that’s over-saturated with sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and reboots, it would seem that movie franchises are something unique to the 21st century. In reality, movie franchises have been around since the early days of Hollywood. Every major studio dreams of having a franchise that can stretch out over multiple films and make a lot of money. However, only a few have been able to realize that dream.
Just because a franchise can pump out movies, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good. It’s one thing to be a long-running franchise, it’s another thing entirely to be a good long-running franchise. Luckily, there are some influential, iconic, and memorable long-running movie franchises out there.
Updated on January 10, 2023, by Samantha McPhee: Not every franchise is a hit, and some even decline in quality as time goes on. However, there are still many long-running franchises that dominate pop culture. We've updated this list with even more information about the most successful movie franchises.
10 Halloween Paved The Way For Other Horror Franchises
First Movie: 1978
It's hard to argue the existence of a more important and influential horror movie than John Carpenter’s Halloween. While slasher films certainly existed before its release, Halloween was the first to make them viable. Its success paved the way for other horror franchises, like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday The 13th.
- 13 films
- 1 video game
- 4 decades of comics
Anchoring this series is one of the greatest horror movie villains of all time, Michael Myers. He's an iconic, unstoppable killer who dons the famous white mask. Myers has terrorized audiences for more than four decades through 13 films. The Halloween franchise is revered as one of the best slasher franchises.
9 Star Trek Will Always Have A Devoted Fanbase
First Movie: 1979
Starting as a popular TV series, Star Trek has since evolved into a massive movie franchise that is still going. Since 1979, The U.S.S Enterprise has been voyaging across movie screens and has appeared in six classic movies, four Next Generation films, and three reboots with the younger cast.
- 11 TV shows
- 13 films
- 5 decades worth of books and comics
The beauty of Star Trek is that while it takes place in the furthest reaches of space, it always manages to tell stories that are deeply human and captivating. With a devoted fanbase of “Trekkies” who will follow this series, Star Trek shall continue to live long and prosper.
8 Rocky Is The Quintessential Sports Movie Franchise
First Movie: 1976
Made on a small budget, the first Rocky movie was a massive critical and commercial hit. It became the highest-grossing movie of 1976 and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Rocky has since become the quintessential sports movie and the template for all subsequent underdog stories. It spawned five incredibly successful sequels that have grossed over $1 billion as well as a spin-off series in the Creed films.
- 6 films
- 2 spin-off films
- 5 books
- 8 video games
For movies about a boxer, the Rocky franchise has a lot of stylistic range. From serious grounded dramas to campy guilty pleasures, Rocky has it all. The only thing that’s guaranteed with each movie is at least one awesome training montage.
7 The X-Men Films Are Among The Best In The Superhero Genre
First Movie: 2000
In many ways, the first X-Men film helped start the superhero trend that would define the modern era of blockbuster movies. Over the next 20 years and 13 theatrical releases that include an original-cast trilogy, there came a Wolverine spin-off trilogy, four rebooted-cast prequels, and two Deadpool movies.
- 13 films
- 2 TV shows
- 6 decades worth of comics
While not every entry in the franchise was a hit, X2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Logan, and Deadpool are among some of the greatest and most influential superhero films ever made. The film series concluded in 2020 when 20th Century Fox sold the rights to Marvel Studios, which plans to integrate the X-Men into the MCU.
6 James Bond Is A Classic Franchise
First Movie: 1962
Similar to fellow British icon Doctor Who, James Bond cleverly allows for the role to be recast with a different actor when it's necessary, which is undoubtedly the reason why the series has endured for as long as it has. With the code name 007, the MI6 agent has appeared in 27 films. Talented actors like Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, and Roger Moore have taken on the role of James Bond.
- 27 films
- 14 books
Seven actors have played the world’s most famous spy in a franchise that spans six decades. The Bond series has always found a way to reinvent itself with each iteration and give each new generation “their” Bond. Many actors have made their mark on this series, so there will always be a debate over who's the best Bond.
5 Godzilla Is The Longest-Running Movie Franchise
First Movie: 1954
This cross-cultural movie franchise began in 1954 with the Japanese kaiju film Gojira, which is more commonly known as its English counterpart, Godzilla. In the original film, Godzilla is meant to symbolize nuclear warfare from Japan’s perspective. Director Ishirō Honda wanted Godzilla's Tokyo rampage to mirror the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- 38 films
- 6 TV shows
- 62 video games
Over the course of nearly 70 years and an astonishing 38 movies, Godzilla has moved away from its social commentary to more action-packed disaster movies. With the 39th film set to release in 2024, Godzilla is the longest-running film franchise of all time.
4 Harry Potter Connected With An Entire Generation
First Movie: 2001
At the turn of the 21st century, Harry Potter became a global phenomenon like no other. J.K. Rowling's incredibly popular book series became an even more popular film franchise. Through 10 years and eight films, Harry Potter helped redefine the blockbuster movie and opened up an entire market for young adult fiction.
- 8 movies
- 8 books
- 1 spin-off movie series
- 2 specials
- 21 video games
The Harry Potter series connected with an entire generation in ways that no other movie franchise has done before. Its fanbase grew up alongside its characters and transitioned into adulthood just as the actors did. Harry Potter is among the best examples of book-to-film adaptations in history. Additionally, the Harry Potter franchise has more recently spawned the Fantastic Beasts series.
3 Batman Has A Long History With Cinema
First Movie: 1966
Batman has had a long and sometimes complicated relationship with cinema. Seven actors have donned the cape and cowl over the 56 years that Batman has been gracing the big screen. From the campy Adam West iteration to Robert Pattinson’s dark and gritty take on the character and everything in between, Batman has remained a fan favorite and one of the most popular characters of all time.
- 18 films
- 17 TV shows
- 8 decades worth of comics
No discussion on Batman would be complete without mentioning his villains, who make or break the project. Luckily for fans of this franchise, Batman has the best villains of any superhero, and with a few exceptions, the best movies.
2 Star Wars Changed Movie Franchises Forever
First Movie: 1977
Many people often say that a movie changed the world, but that’s actually what Star Wars did. It didn’t just revolutionize visual effects, world-building, and storytelling, but it also marked a shift in how fans interacted with movies. The epic space opera franchise began in 1977 and has had a huge impact on pop culture ever since.
- 12 films
- 3 spin-off films
- 10 TV shows
The original trilogy alone grossed nearly $2 billion and launched a multimedia franchise that includes TV series, video games, comic books, tie-in novels, and merchandising. 12 films later with another two on the way, the Star Wars universe just keeps expanding.
1 The Marvel Cinematic Universe Reigns Supreme
First Movie: 2008
Back in 2008 when the first Iron Man film kicked off the MCU, no one could have foreseen what was to come. With 30 films already released and at least 12 more in various stages of development, the MCU is the fastest-growing franchise of all time and is on track to become the biggest.
- 30 films
- 20 TV shows (12 Marvel Television shows, 8 Marvel Studios series)
- 6 decades of comics
The MCU is already the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time. The superhero series has grossed more than $27 billion, nearly triple the next highest-grossing film franchise, Star Wars, which has grossed $10 billion. Only time will tell if audience fatigue will be an issue in the future, but for now, the MCU reigns supreme as far as movie franchises go.