The world of filmmaking is not a walk in the park. Many filmmakers require an army to make things happen. With the right financial backing, however, filmmakers, who are ordinarily epic storytellers with a lot of patience, can move mountains. The box office is where all the magic happens, and whether someone’s turning an author’s wildest dreams into reality, or creating a picture off of the brain of a genius like Stan Lee, it often has the last say. Of all storytellers, the ones behind the highest-grossing franchises of all time have not only broken records at the box office, but also won themselves a cult-like following. These are the most successful franchises in history:
10. J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-earth ($5.9 Billion)
Early in his quest to adapt his books into film, author J.R.R Tolkien was faced with rejection. As of 2022, the franchise is one of the top-grossing ones if theatre sales are anything to go by. With a total of seven films produced, it boasts a gross income of figures in the neighborhood of $5 billion. Its highest-grossing film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, earned a total income of $1.1 billion. Collectively, Tolkien’s screen adaptations have garnered at least 37 Academy Award nominations and won 17 of the awards.
9. ‘X-Men’ ($6 Billion)
Based on the creation of comic book writer Stan Lee, the superhero film series X-Men made $6 billion in sales. The first film, directed by Bryan Singer, was released in 2000. Starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, and Halle Berry, it grossed $296 million on a $75 million budget. All subsequent X-Men films were incredibly successful, leading to the birth of spin-offs Wolverine, Deadpool, and The New Mutants, which marked the end of the series. Thirteen films were released under the franchise, the highest-grossing one being Deadpool 2.
8. ‘Batman’ ($6.3 Billion)
The inaugural Batman film premiered in the 1940s. Since then, 17 films have been released, featuring numerous actors as Batman, including George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Val Kilmer, Robert Pattison, Christian Bale, and Michael Keaton, to name but a few. The films have grossed a sum of $6.3 billion in revenue, with The Dark Knight Rises being the highest-grossing of them all. Batman films have received 15 Academy Award nominations, winning three of them, including Heath Ledger’s award for Best Supporting Actor in The Dark Knight.
7. ‘Fast & Furious’ ($6.6 Billion)
Created by Gary Scott Thompson, the first film in the Fast & Furious franchise was released in 2001. Several sequels followed, the most recent being F9. The films have garnered a combined gross revenue of $6.6 billion, with Furious 7 being the highest-grossing film yet. The movie’s soundtrack, ‘See You Again’ featuring Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, is one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time ( and 2015’s best-selling song, overall), and spent twelve consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
6.‘Avengers’ ($7.7 Billion)
The Avengers, a 2012 film, was released as the sixth film in the MCU. Created with the plotline of stopping Thor’s brother Loki from controlling the earth, the film featured a cast ensemble that included Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner as the Avengers. Created on a $220 million budget, the film managed to gross $1.5 billion, making it the highest-grossing film of the year, and third overall. Since then, there have been three sequels, including 2019’s The Avengers: Endgame, which is one of the most expensive films ever made, and the most successful film of all time.
5. ‘James Bond’ ($7.8 Billion)
Created by author Ian Fleming, James Bond has been portrayed on the big screen by one too many actors including Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Timothy Dalton to name but a few. The franchise’s 27 productions have collectively brought in five Academy awards and $7.8 billion in revenue. The highest-grossing film, Skyfall, raked in an estimated $1.1 billion.
4. J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World ($9.2 Billion)
Created off of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, The Wizarding World is one of the world’s most successful franchises that has amassed a cult-like following which spans across generations. The franchise’s first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone rocketed the careers of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, and was the world’s second-highest-grossing film upon its release. Harry Potter films have collectively grossed $9.2 billion, making J.K.Rowling the world’s first billionaire author. The franchise’s highest-grossing film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2 brought in a total of $1.3 billion.
3. ‘Spider-Man’ ($9.5 Billion)
First created as part of the book Amazing Fantasy, Spider-Man, whose real name is Peter Parker, gains his powers from a radioactive spider bite. In film, the role has been portrayed by a number of actors, including Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. In animated works, he has been voiced by Chris Pine and Jake Johnson. Well known to be the brainchild of Stan Lee, the eleven-film franchise has generated $9.5 million in revenue, its most successful film being No Way Home, which grossed $1.8 Billion at the box office.
2. ‘Star Wars’ ($10.3 Billion)
Created by George Lucas, Star Wars is a cultural sensation, whose portfolio of reach extends beyond the big screen. Since the installment of the very first film, Episode IV: A New Hope, eleven more films have been released, including The Force Awakens, the franchise’s top-grossing film, which raked in $2 billion at the box office. Collectively, all the Star Wars films have earned an estimated $10 billion, rendering the franchise the second most successful of all time.
1. Marvel Cinematic Universe ($25.6 Billion)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the world’s largest film franchise of all time, created off of comic books by Marvel Comics. Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, which was a marker for the first phase of the MCU releases, three more phases have followed suit. Films such as Thor, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Black Widow, have largely contributed to the franchise’s $25-billion empire. With a total of 27 films released as of 2022, the MCU’s most profitable film of all time is Avengers: Endgame, which grossed a massive $2.7 Billion in revenue worldwide. The fourth phase of the MCU extends all the way into 2023 and includes Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
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