Building a film franchise is a lot of work. The first movie has to be good enough to hook in fans and convince studios that more films are needed in this world. And everything hinges on that first movie because, without it, the whole plan falls apart.
But that being said, this doesn't mean that the first movie is necessarily the best movie. Even if the movie is amazing, some franchises manage to defy the odds by getting better and better with each installment. And don't worry. This is a list that the Die Hard franchise definitely won't be appearing on.
10 Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy
It all started with one of the best superhero origin movies ever made, Batman Begins. This film set the stage for acclaimed director Christopher Nolan's unique and interesting take on the Caped Crusader.
The crazy part was that the franchise just got better from there. Each of the movies was better than the one before it, though The Dark Knight is certainly a fan favorite. Still, it's hard to argue against everything Nolan accomplished in the final film of his trilogy.
9 The MCU's Thor Films
Fans rarely argue about which movie is better between Thor and Thor: The Dark World. Usually, the conversation is which one of them is worse, keeping in mind that there's a strong argument to be made for both being at the bottom of the list.
But they both set the stage for what fans would eventually get in Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok. Not only is it the best of the Thor franchise, but it's also easily one of the best films in the entire MCU and set the tone for every Thor appearance that came after it.
8 Daniel Craig's James Bond Films
After decades of films and several actors playing the iconic character, the James Bond franchise has certainly gone through some drastic ups and downs. There have been some absolute classics as well as some serious duds.
But Daniel Craig's specific Bond sub-franchise has been overall amazing. The only blotch on the record is Quantum of Solace, which wasn't a great follow-up to Casino Royale. But for the most part, most of Craig's Bond films have been of increasingly good quality. Hopefully, No Time to Die continues that trend.
7 The How To Train Your Dragon Franchise
A lot of people were surprised by How to Train Your Dragon from Dreamworks Animation. Based on the books by Cressida Cowell, the 2010 movie told the story of a young Viking breaking with tradition and befriending an injured dragon.
While the franchise is much bigger than just the films, each of the two movie sequels has done a spectacular job of building the world. There is an emotional component to these movies that simply cannot be ignored.
6 Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
First and foremost, it's important to note that The Hobbit films are not included in this conversation at all. This is entirely focused on Jackson's first trilogy which adapted J.R.R. Tolkien's celebrated masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.
The series started strong with The Fellowship of the Ring and just kept getting better as it went on. Honestly, it's hard to even perceive it as three different films as they're designed to flow into each other.
5 The Fast & Furious Franchise
If anyone tried to predict that a film about street racing thieves would end up being a franchise about an elite team of world traveling mercenaries, they would have been called crazy. And if anyone suggested that franchise would end up being 11 movies long, they would have been laughed at.
The Fast and the Furious was an easily forgettable 2001 action film that somehow spawned a billion-dollar franchise. And each movie is definitely better than the one before it, though that's not a really difficult bar to get over.
4 Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible Films
This has quite subtly become one of the longest-running film franchises in Hollywood. The first film was released in 1996, with a total of six coming out to date. Two more are on the way, though the seventh film keeps getting pushed back.
There is some debate over which of Cruise's original trilogy of Mission: Impossible movies are the worst. Truly, none of them are all that great. But the modern films have been consistently incredible. It's a franchise that keeps getting better.
3 The Harry Potter Franchise
While it seems insane to say this now, there was no guarantee that the Harry Potter movies were going to be a success. The books had done well but jumping into a new media form is dangerous for any franchise. There have been several bombs that have proved that over the years.
But as the franchise went on, the movies got bigger, better, and more ambitious. While everyone has their personal favorites, it's also extremely hard to deny that every movie kept upping the ante until the final one closed out the story.
2 The Ongoing Story Of Despicable Me
Thanks in large part to the Minions, the story of a reformed supervillain named Gru becoming an adoptive father and family man has been surprisingly compelling. The Despicable Me franchise has certainly become an animation tentpole at this point.
Gru's daughters humanized him and made him more vulnerable. And that has translated into some incredible engaging stories. To their credit, the producers keep finding ways to make the overall story increasingly interesting and fun.
1 The Violent, Grim World Of John Wick
Saying that John Wick came out of left field in 2014 and surprised everyone is a massive understatement. This neo-noir thriller re-invented the action genre and proved once again the Keanu Reeves is a bankable star.
Since then, a blockbuster franchise has grown to include two sequels with more on the way. Despite the odds against this, these movies keep getting better and more innovative. That's due in no small part to the fact that the filmmakers take a lot of chances on the world-building aspects that always seem to pay off.