Movie franchises that have stood the test of time and earned billions at the box office include Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Toy Story. Star Wars revolutionized the film industry and paved the way for modern blockbusters with an average gross higher than any other franchise when adjusted for inflation. Indiana Jones and Toy Story have both continued to release successful sequels decades after their initial installments, with Toy Story 3 being a serious contender for Best Picture at the 2011 Academy Awards. Other hugely popular and lucrative franchises include Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Shrek, Jurassic Park, Batman, The Matrix, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

1. Greatest Movie Franchises of All Time
Movie franchises are a staple of summer blockbuster season. A successful movie
franchise will span several sequels and each installment can rake in hundreds of
millions in ticket sales, DVD sales and merchandising. A few notable franchises
stand above the rest in terms of cultural and box office impact.
1. Indiana Jones: Plenty of juice is left in this popular franchise which has grossed
nearly $2 billion worldwide. The fourth installment, "Indiana Jones And The
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," opened two decades after its predecessor and still
ranked third in 2008 box office revenue.
2. Toy Story: It speaks volumes concerning the quality of this animated franchise
when "Toy Story 3" was a serious contender for best picture at the 2011 Academy
Awards.
3. Spider-Man: The trilogy made Tobey Maguire a star and grossed more than
$2.4 billion worldwide. It still did not deter studio executives at Columbia from
rebooting the franchise starting in 2012.
4. Star Wars: The iconic science fiction saga can lay claim to the highest average-
gross of all film franchises, when adjusted for inflation. When it debuted in 1977,
“Star Wars” revolutionized the movie industry and paved the way for modern
summer blockbusters.
5. Lord of the Rings: Watching the quest to destroy the one ring meant to rule
them all captured audience imagination and critical acclaim. "The Return of the
King" – which capped the trilogy – won multiple academy awards after its release
– including best picture.
6. The Godfather: No other movie franchise has had two installments win an
Academy Award for Best Picture. "The Godfather Part II" is the first sequel to
achieve this feat.
7. Harry Potter: Based on the fantasy novels centered on a young wizard, this
franchise has worked box office magic. Through seven installments, with the final
one on the way, it has grossed more than $5.4 billion worldwide.
8. Shrek: Building a franchise around a green ogre turning fairy tale conventions
upside down has spawned four wildly popular movies and a series of popular

2. network TV holiday specials. A spin-off, "Puss In Boots" will soon hit theaters as
the franchise's latest installment.
9. Jurassic Park: The first movie, "Jurassic Park," pioneered computer generated
imagery on the big screen. It turned dinosaurs from cumbersome creatures into
swift and vicious killing machines. A long-rumored fourth installment remains
stuck in development.
10. Batman: The vigilante superhero has come full circle on the big screen,
returning to his darker roots in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight." The latter
film garnered a posthumous Academy Award for Heath Ledger as the Joker and
still ranks no. 3 all-time at the North American box office.
11. The Matrix: Gravity-defying special effects introduced in the original film
have been copied and parodied many times since its release. Nothing still compares
to seeing slow motion bullet dodging here first.
12. Lethal Weapon: Mel Gibson launched his career as a slightly crazy cop before
now infamous racist rants and threats of domestic violence wiped out his star
power.
13. X-Men: What started as a trilogy based around the struggle for mutants to gain
acceptance in human society has broken off into multiple spinoffs in the same
manner as its namesake comic books.
14. Pirates of the Caribbean: Who knew a film franchise could be spawned from
a theme park ride? Johnny Depp has made pirate movies fun and profitable again
with his manic portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow.
15. Mission: Impossible: Tom Cruise gave James Bond type spy conventions a
modern facelift through his character Ethan Hunt, who also makes a habit of
navigating through death-defying missions to save the world.
16. Die Hard: Bruce Willis earned his action star credentials as the cop in the
wrong place at the wrong time. The same cannot be said for a franchise spawning
countless imitators over two decades.
17. Rocky: Not only did this franchise build Sylvester Stallone's acting career, it
made him a legend in the boxing community. "Rocky" won an Academy award for
Best Picture and spawned five sequels. It remains one of the all time best sports

3. films.
18. Chronicles of Narnia: Based on the popular fantasy series by C.S. Lewis, the
Narnia franchise has remained successful despite being dropped by Walt Disney
Pictures and being picked up by 20th Century Fox.
19. Austin Powers: Before finding his inner ogre, Mike Myers broke out as a
super spy whose fashion sense and mannerisms remained trapped in a 60s time
warp.
20. Ice Age: With two sequels and counting, this animated franchise about animals
living during the last ice age helped 3D animation explode in popularity with "Toy
Story" and "Shrek" and hasten the death of traditional 2D animation.