Columbia Pictures highest grossing movie franchises are one of Hollywood’s biggest Box Office earners. As a film production and distribution company, Columbia Pictures is a division of one of Hollywood’s Big Four studios, Sony Pictures (Sony Group Corporation). On January 20, 2024, Columbia Pictures turned 100, having been founded on January 20, 1924. The company was initially called Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales Corporation when it was founded on June 19, 1918, before it was renamed Columbia Pictures six years later.
The Cohn brothers, Jack Cohn and Harry Cohn founded the film production company with Joe Brandt, a business partner. For the last century, Columbia Pictures has worked with the biggest filmmakers and actors, churning out box-office hits every year. Some of its popular film franchises include The Three Stooges (1934–1965), Annie (1982–2014), The Karate Kid (1984–2010), Bad Boys (1995–2024), Charlie’s Angels (2000–2019), Hotel Transylvania (2012–2022), The Equalizer (2014–2023). In its 100 years of existence, these are the top 6 Columbia Pictures highest grossing movie franchises.
Ghostbusters (1984-2024)
The Ghostbusters franchise was created by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, with the first film released in 1984. It is the first on the list of Columbia Pictures highest grossing movie franchises. The supernatural comedy became the first comedy to use expensive special effects in 1984. The original film series starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts. So far, the franchise has produced 5 films, with four originals and a reboot film. The 1984 Ghostbusters was followed by a sequel, Ghostbusters II (1989).
A reboot was released in 2016 starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Neil Casey, Andy García, and Cecily Strong. This reboot was a box office bomb, causing Sony to return to the original film series. This led to the release of the sequel to the 1989 film Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021. A sequel to Afterlife and the fifth film in the franchise, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, is scheduled for release on March 22, 2024. Excluding the Box Office earnings of the yet-to-be-released film, the Ghostbusters franchise has grossed over $944.1 million at the Box Office.
The Smurfs (2011-2017)
The Smurfs were one of the most popular animated films of the 2010s. It is also one of Columbia Pictures highest grossing movie franchises to have grossed over $1 billion. The first The Smurfs films produced were released in the 1960s and 1970s. However, in the 2010s, Columbia Pictures co-produced all three The Smurfs films with Sony Pictures Animation and Kerner Entertainment Company. These include The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2 (2013), and Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). The Smurfs, under Columbia Pictures, grossed over $1.1 billion at the Box Office.
Jumanji (2005-2019)
Although the Jumanji film franchise has had four released films, only three were produced by Columbia Pictures. The first film, Jumanji (1995), was co-produced by Columbia Pictures sister company, TriStar Pictures. With box office earnings close to the $2 billion mark, Jumanji is one of the top Columbia Pictures highest grossing movie franchises. However, when Columbia Pictures picked up the series in the first sequel, Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), it was a box office flop, grossing $65.1 million on a $65 million budget.
However, when a sequel to the 1995 Jumanji was released in 2017, it was a massive success. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) grossed $995.3 million. The working chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart not only contributed to the franchise’s success but strengthened the actor’s friendship offscreen. Although its sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), did not outperform its predecessor at the Box Office, it was another success with earnings of $801.7 million. The Jumanji franchise has grossed over $1.85 billion.
Men in Black (1997-2019)
Columbia Pictures co-produced the Men in Black film series with Amblin Entertainment. The Men in Black franchise has four films, released between 1997 and 2019. The first three films starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, and we’re all commercial successes. The 1997 Men in Black produced the sequels Men in Black II (2002) and Men in Black 3 (2012). A standalone sequel, Men in Black: International, was released in 2019, starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. It had moderate success at the box office and became the least-performing film in the franchise. The Men in Black franchise has grossed over $1.9 billion at the Box Office.
James Bond (2006-2015)
The James Bond franchise isn’t only Columbia Pictures highest grossing movie franchises but also one of the world’s highest grossing franchises. Although the first James Bond film, Dr. No, was released in 1962, Columbia Pictures joined the franchise in 2006. Co-producing with Eon Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures produced four James Bond films from 2006 to 2015. Their first film was the Daniel Craig-led Casino Royale (2006). Columbia Pictures followed it up with three consecutive sequels: Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). Columbia Pictures James Bond film franchise grossed over $3.19 billion at the Box Office.
Spider-Man Franchises (1977-2024)
For almost half a century, Columbia Pictures has produced several Spider-Man franchises alongside Sony Pictures. The superhero character has been Marvel’s most successful superhero in the cinema industry. Combining all of the produced Spider-Man franchises, it is unarguably Columbia Pictures highest grossing film franchise in its 100 years of existence. The first Spider-Man franchise attached to Columbia Pictures was the 1977 films produced from the television series. Three films were produced between 1977 and 1981, including Spider-Man (1977), Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978), and Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge (1981).
Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man films, produced between 2002 and 2007, were the first, most popular Spider-Man films for audiences of this generation. The franchise starred Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, with Kirsten Dunst portraying his love interest, Mary Jane “MJ” Watson. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man franchise was a commercial success. The Amazing Spider-Man franchise had only two films, from 2012 to 2014, and starred Andrew Garfield as the titular character and Emma Stone as his love interest, Gwen Stacy. Although Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is yet to feature the superhero Spider-Man, the films are released in his universe. Three films were released between 2018 and 2022, including Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), and Morbius (2022). In 2024, three films have been scheduled for release, including Madame Web (February 14), Kraven the Hunter (August 30), and Venom 3 (November 8).
Columbia Pictures Spider-Verse is an animated film franchise of Spider-Man. It has released two films, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and a sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). A third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and a female-led spin-off is in development. Columbia Pictures also co-produced Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Spider-Man trilogy films that starred Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Zendaya as Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson. Together, Columbia Pictures Spider-Man films have grossed over $10.5 billion at the Box Office. If you liked Columbia Pictures highest grossing movie franchises, here are the 8 highest-grossing movie franchises in history.
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