Here we’ve listed the Top 5 movie franchises below, the most successful and the most followed franchises made on the cinematic industry..
THE LIST:
5. Batman – $ 1.897bn
Number of Films – 8
If you don’t like the modern superhero movie blame Tim Burton. He was the inspired choice to direct the 1989 Batman, and pretty much created a genre in the process, proving that audiences could take comic book characters seriously, and crafting a kick-ass flick in the process. Burton made an equally excellent sequel, which was followed by two dire follow-ups that effectively killed the series. Until Christopher Nolan resuscitated it with one of the great trilogies, The Dark night a bona fide movie classic. And like LOTR, that random extra movie is 1993 animated effort Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
4. James Bond – $ 1.912bn
Number of Films – 24
Bond has something of an advantage in that his franchise is 24 films strong , but it’s worth remembering that these figures aren’t adjusted for inflation, because if they were, he’d be the outright victor by some distance. The brilliance of the series is that by changing lead actor, it has been able to reinvent itself for each new generation. And with most recent movie Skyfall the most financially lucrative yet, expect the Bond movies to run indefinitely and remain high on this list.
3. Star Wars – $ 1.918bn
Number of Films – 6
While we’re talking inflation, if you update the figures for the original Star Wars, it’s the most successful film here, coming in at number two on the all-time list (behind Gone With The Wind). And while the prequels might not have been to everyone’s taste, they nevertheless grossed more than $1bn in the States. With Episode VII gearing up for a 2015 release and sequels and spin-offs to follow, expect the franchise to soon be challenging for the top spot.
2. Harry Potter – $ 2.390 bn
Number of Films – 8
Now that the dust has settled on the Harry Potter films, it’s hard not to look back at this tale of a boy wizard and marvel. The first few books were a hit before being turned into films, but nobody could have predicted the box office juggernaut they would become. The series kicked off the annoying trend of splitting one book into two for finale The Deathly Hallows, but with the second of those film grossing more than any other Potter flick, the producers clearly knew what they were doing.
1. Marvel Cinematic Universe – $2.470bn
Number of Films: 9
Ignoring their previous film efforts, the official ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’ kicked off in 2008 with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, and has barely hit a bum note since. Under the masterful guidance of Kevin Feige, the first phase also featured Thor and Captain America efforts that built up to film phenomenon The Avengers, while phase two will introduce the Guardians of the Galaxy this summer. And with phase three already mapped out, the success of the Marvel movies shows no sign of abating, proving that care, attention and planning can reap huge rewards at the box office, and turn a superhero series into the biggest franchise of them all.
BY HARSHVARDHAN SINGH
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