To have one big hit movie in Hollywood is an accomplishment, but multiple hit films is another level of success. From Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to The Walt Disney Company, Hollywood studios are constantly trying to capture audiences' attention with the next big franchise. But what are the most successful movie franchises of all time, according to the worldwide box office?
This guide highlights 20 of the biggest movie franchises in film history and provides information on where you can watch every entry using popular streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Disney+, Paramount+ and more!
1. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - 33 movies ($29.7 billion)
Starting with Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has become the biggest movie franchise of all time over the last two decades – grossing over $29 billion dollars at the global box office. The MCU includes many of the highest-grossing films of all time, including Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1,9 billion), The Avengers ($1,5 billion) and Avengers: Endgame ($2,7 billion). The franchise also reshaped the way movie studios approached franchise filmmaking. Prior to the MCU, it was unusual to have intricately connected movies on a large scale. Since the success of The Avengers in 2012, it has now become the industry standard for practically every IP with a devoted audience.
You can use this guide to find out where to stream the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in order.
2. Star Wars - 12 movies ($10.3 billion)
The release of Star Wars (later retitled as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) in 1977 changed franchise filmmaking forever. George Lucas' expanded his sci-fi fantasy with a two trilogies and animated shows, all of which kept Star Wars as one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. Since acquiring the rights to Star Wars in 2012, Disney have expanded the galaxy far, far away with a new trilogy, the very first spin-off movies and TV shows such as Andor, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Find out how to watch every Star Wars movie in order with our guide.
3. Harry Potter (including Fantastic Beasts) - 11 movies ($9.5 billion)
Now known as the "Wizarding World", the Harry Potter novels were adapted for the big screen from 2001 until 2007. With international success, the franchise has been expanded with wizarding stories from an earlier time period with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. HBO have since announced a TV show that will follow J. K. Rowling's seven Harry Potter novels.
Find where to stream every Harry Potter movie in order here.
4. Spider-Man (including the Spider-Verse) - 10 movies ($8.9 billion)
While Spider-Man also appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (thanks to a deal between Marvel Studios and Sony, who own the rights to the character) he also makes his way onto the list in his own right. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man is an essential superhero movie that became a global phenomenon upon release. With two sequels, an Andrew Garfield-led reboot and the character's eventual introduction to the MCU makes Spidey one of the most successful movie franchises ever. As Tom Holland continues his run as the character and Spidey spin-off movies such as Venom and Kraven the Hunter, the character should be a mainstay on the list for years to come.
Check out our ranking for every Spider-Man movie (and where to stream them all).
5. James Bond - 27 movies ($7.8 billion)
With more than twenty movies to his name, James Bond has been on the big screen since Dr. No was released in 1962. The iconic British spy has been reinvented several times with performances from the likes of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. The franchise is known for its beautiful cast and locations as well as some of the most ambitious action set pieces in movie history.
See where you can watch every James Bond movie in order with our guide.
6. The Avengers - 4 movies ($7.7 billion)
Just like Spider-Man, the Avengers have their own spot as one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. The team-ups featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes have been consistently popular among fans with enormous blockbusters such as The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Marvel has already lined up the next Avengers-led adventures with Avengers 5 in 2026 and Secret Wars in 2027.
7. The Fast and the Furious - 11 movies ($7.3 billion)
Although the Fast franchise had humble beginnings, the scope of Dom Toretto's story has increased with each new instalment. Dom and his 'familia' started out stealing electronics with their street-racing rides but eventually took their skills around the world on a series of life-threatening missions. Each new movie has added another A-list cast member, with the likes of Gal Gadot, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Charlize Theron joining the franchise.
Find out where to watch every Fast and Furious movie in order here.
8. DC Extended Universe (DCEU) - 15 movies ($7.1 billion)
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) follows some of the comic book company's most iconic characters, including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The first ever Wonder Woman movie to hit theaters grossed over $412 million at the box office, while Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice made $330 million. The franchise also includes the very first Justice League movie ever – which was later re-released on streaming platforms with a 4-hour long special edition called Zack Snyder's Justice League. Although the direction of the DCEU divided the DC fanbase, the franchise was successful enough to make its way onto this list.
Find out how to watch every DCEU movie in order with our guide.
9. Batman - 17 movies ($6.8 billion)
As one of the most popular superheroes of all time, it's not surprising that The Dark Knight is one of the most popular movie franchises ever. Many different adaptations of Batman have been popular with moviegoers, whether it's Tim Burton's gothic reimagining of the character in 1989 or Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale. Now that Robert Pattinson has donned the cowl and James Gunn is leading the way behind the scenes at DC, it's hard to imagine Batman losing his spot in the top ten any time soon.
Check out the best Batman movies to watch online here.
10. X-Men - 13 movies ($6.07 billion)
Before live action movies from Spider-Man and The Avengers became global phenomenons, Marvel had a hit movie franchise with the X-Men. Starting with Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000, the series eventually spanned multiple time frames and included reinterpretations of its main characters. This includes the time-bending X-Men: Days of Future Past and the adventures of a young Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class. Despite an almost entirely different cast by the end of the franchise's run, Hugh Jackman retained his role as Wolverine for more than 17 years.
Find out how to watch the X-Men movies in order (chronological vs. theatrical) with this guide.
11. Jurassic Park - 6 movies ($6.03 billion)
Based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name, Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park instantly became one of the most successful box office blockbusters ever upon release with $357 million. This marked the beginning of an ongoing franchise that includes the Jurassic Park trilogy and the Jurassic World trilogy. After Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Spielberg would hand over directorial duties to Joe Johnston for Jurassic Park III. Years later, director Colin Trevorrow would make over $652 million at the box office with Jurassic World.
Check out where to watch the Jurassic Park movies in order here.
12. The Lord of the Rings (including The Hobbit) - 6 movies ($5.8 billion)
Often described as the greatest fantasy franchise of all time, Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is still among the most popular movie series ever. In addition to the iconic trilogy, Jackson also directed a three-part adaptation of The Hobbit. Although the Hobbit trilogy was not a critical success, the three movies combined made more than $1 billion at the box office. In addition to making $377 million in theaters, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King also picked up an astonishing 11 Academy Awards.
13. Transformers - 8 movies ($5.29 billion)
Although the Transformers movies aren't always well-received by critics, the Autobots are still one of the most popular movie franchises ever. Spearheaded by director Michael Bay, the franchise brought the popular toy brand to the big screen in live action for the first time in 2007 with Transformers. After several movies focusing on the adventures of Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), the franchise branched out with new central characters such as Cade Yaeger (Mark Wahlberg) in Transformers: The Last Knight and Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) in Bumblebee.
See where to watch every Transformers movie in order with this guide.
14. Avatar - 2 movies ($5.24 billion)
James Cameron's Avatar is the most successful movie of all time, with $2.9 billion in global box office sales. The immense success of the film resulted in plans for a movie franchise that includes at least 4 sequels. Despite this, fans had to wait over a decade for the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, which told the next chapter in Jake Sully and Neytiri's adventures on Pandora. The movie grossed $2.3 billion worldwide, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Avatar someday become the most successful movie franchise ever.
Check out where to watch the Avatar movies in order with this guide.
15. Despicable Me/Minions - 5 movies ($4.6 billion)
Gru and his lovable Minions have been making audiences laugh ever since the release of Despicable Me in 2010. Since then, the slapstick assistants have appeared in their own movie and fans have even been treated to a prequel, Minions: The Rise of Gru.
See our complete guide to streaming all the Minions movies here.
16. Pirates of the Caribbean - 5 movies ($4.5 billion)
Originally a theme park ride, the Pirates of the Caribbean became an instant successful with the release of The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2005. Known for its swashbuckling adventures and Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, the Pirates franchise originally centered on Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan. Disney has since released spin-offs such as On Stranger Tides, which grossed $240 million worldwide.
Check out where to watch all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies with our streaming guide.
17. Mission: Impossible - 7 movies ($4.1 billion)
The Mission: Impossible franchise follows the adventures of IMF agent Ethan Hunt. Known for one of Tom Cruise's most iconic rules, the franchise has continuously been successful at the box office ever since Brian de Palma's Mission: Impossible premiered in 1996. In particular, Mission: Impossible Fallout breathed new life into the franchise with the biggest global box office numbers of any M:I movie to date ($786 million).
18. Shrek (including Puss in Boots) - 6 movies ($4 billion)
Shrek became a global phenomenon upon its release in 2001 after playing in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Grossing 491 million worldwide, the success of the animated comedy immediately made Shrek and Donkey household names. This led DreamWorks to continue the franchise with Shrek 2, which made an impressive $935 million worldwide. The franchise also includes Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After and two spin-offs centering on Puss-in-Boots.
19. Twilight - 5 movies ($3.3 billion)
Twilight stands out among this list because it is the only franchise that isn't an action, sci-fi or animated movie. Instead, it is by far the most popular young adult franchise of all time. The Twilight franchise became a global sensation throughout the 2000s, with fans choosing whether they were 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob'. With Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in the lead roles, the most successful Twilight movie at the box office was Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2. As the finale of the franchise, it made $829 million worldwide.
Find out how to watch the Twilight saga in order (and where to stream them all) here.
20. The Hunger Games - 5 movies ($3.2 billion)
Jennifer Lawrence became a household name following the release of 2012's dystopian thriller The Hunger Games. The original four entries and its 2023 prequel series following the rise of President Snow has grossed over $3.2 billion at the worldwide box office.
Where can I watch the biggest movie franchises online?
With so many iconic movies forming each of these franchises, the list below includes the first film of the 20 largest and most profitable Hollywood movie franchises. Read on to find out where you can stream them online in the United States right now; this includes the availability of movies to buy, rent and stream on all popular streaming services!
