The 21 highest-grossing film franchises in cinema history have so far collectively earned an inflation-adjusted sum of $213.9 billion (£168.5bn) at the global box office.
From DC and Marvel’s money-making superhero sagas to family-friendly series, read on as we round up the top-grossing film franchises in the world today – a few entries will probably surprise you too.
All dollar amounts are in US dollars, and the total values of the franchises have been adjusted for inflation into 2023 money.
When Twilight, based on the best-selling book series by Stephenie Meyer, hit the silver screen in 2008, it was almost impossible to find a teenage girl who wasn't captivated by the vampire romance saga.
The four novels were adapted into five films, which grossed a fang-tastic total of $3.3 billion, or $4.5 billion (£3.5bn) in today's money. A TV adaptation of the beloved franchise is now in the works, though it's unclear if it will be a direct remake of the movies or an original take.
It's hard to believe, but the first Ice Age film hit our screens over 20 years ago. Released in March 2002, Ice Age took in $386 million globally, the equivalent of $656 million (£518.4m) in today’s money.
Five Ice Age movies have been released theatrically, grossing a grand total of $3.2 billion, or $4.7 billion (£3.7bn) when inflation-adjusted. A spin-off, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, was released direct to Disney+ in January 2022, though critics widely slammed it.
Pixar has captured the imaginations of children and adults alike with its heartfelt animations for almost three decades. It all began in 1995 with Toy Story. As well as being the first-ever feature-length animation to be entirely computer-generated, the movie also marked the beginning of the legendary partnership between Pixar and Disney.
The five films have earned almost $3.3 billion at the global box office, or $4.7 billion (£3.7bn) in today's dollars. However, the future of the beloved franchise hangs in the balance as the last instalment, 2022's Lightyear, was a colossal flop, pulling in a pitiful $218 million (£172.2m) against its $200 million (£158m) production costs.
Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible franchise has enthralled moviegoers since the 1990s, with Cruise famously performing his own white-knuckle stunts throughout the series. After all, who could forget when the fearless actor scaled Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, while filming Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol in 2011? On-set photos of Cruise climbing the 828-metre (2,717-foot) skyscraper attached to a harness were enough to make even the most courageous daredevil feel dizzy.
The latest entry, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, hit the big screen in July and has already earned $541.1 million (£427.6m) at the time of this writing. That means the action-packed franchise has grossed a grand total of $5.7 billion (£4.5bn) and counting.
Next up is the family-friendly Despicable Me franchise. Minion mania started with the release of 2010's Despicable Me, which grossed an inflation-adjusted sum of $758 million (£598.4m) globally.
Since then, the five films have earned over $4.6 billion at the worldwide box office. An impressive $5.7 billion (£4.5bn) in today's money.
Shrek is a cultural phenomenon, combining brilliant characters, gripping storylines, and jokes aplenty, all topped off with a brilliant soundtrack. Released in 2001, the first movie grossed an inflation-adjusted sum of $841 million (£663.9m)
It was followed by three sequels and the two Puss in Boots spin-off movies. The franchise has collectively grossed $4 billion globally, or $5.9 billion (£4.7bn) in 2023 money.
Pirates of the Caribbean was an instant hit for Disney. Before releasing the first Pirates movie in 2003, the House of Mouse hadn't scored a successful live-action movie in decades. Everything changed when the first movie in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, grossed an inflation-adjusted sum of $1.1 billion (£870m).
Disney released four sequels between 2006 and 2017, and the swashbuckling adventure saga has grossed a grand total of $4.5 billion globally, or $6.5 billion (£5.1bn) in today's money. That's a whole lotta loot!
James Cameron’s Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time when it was released in 2009. The sci-fi epic earned an incredible $2.9 billion globally, or $4.1 billion (£3.2bn) when adjusted for inflation.
Fans had a painful 13-year wait for the sequel, but Avatar: The Way of Water finally hit the silver screen in December 2022. It certainly made a big splash at the box office, grossing $2.4 billion (£1.9bn). A third instalment is on the way, with a release date of December 2024.
When you think of the Transformers movies, based on the iconic Hasbro toys from the 1980s, you probably think of Michael Bay's action-packed, explosion-filled saga, right? The first Transformers film actually appeared back in 1986 in the form of the animated feature The Transformers: The Movie. We can hardly blame you if you’ve forgotten about this particular instalment. It pulled in a pitiful $5.8 million at the box office, equivalent to $16.1 million (£12.7m) today. That's far from phenomenal when you consider that director Michael Bay transformed –pun intended – the series into a multibillion-dollar action bonanza.
Today, the franchise has pulled in $5.2 billion at the box office, or $6.8 billion (£5.4bn) when inflation-adjusted. The newest entry, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, dropped in June and has already made a cool $438 million (£345.8m) at the time of the writing.
Following in the footsteps of Marvel, rival superhero franchise DC kicked off the DC Extended Universe in 2013 with the Superman movie Man of Steel.
To date, the franchise has grossed a respectable $7.9 billion (£6.2bn) globally. The latest entry, Blue Beetle, dropped earlier this month and has earned a mere $45.8 million (£36.1m) at the time of this writing, following stiff box office competition from the likes of Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Yet another superhero franchise, next in our round-up we have X-Men, based on the popular Marvel comics. Despite being a Marvel creation, the 13 films in the franchise thus far were produced by 20th Century Fox, starting with 2000’s X-Men.
Overall, the X-Men series has grossed $6.1 billion, or $8.1 billion (£6.4bn) when inflation-adjusted. This figure will undoubtedly climb as Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2019, meaning the superhero movie franchise has finally come back home to Marvel.
Based on J. R. R. Tolkien's best-selling books, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-loved fantasy series ever. The six films, including three prequels based on the book The Hobbit, have made over $5.8 billion worldwide, or $8.6 billion (£6.8bn) in today's money.
As for the one film to rule them all? That's 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which raked in an inflation-adjusted sum of $1.8 billion (£1.4bn). It also won the prestigious Academy Award for Best Picture in 2004 – along with 10 other gongs on the night.
You can always count on Steven Spielberg to create movie magic, and Jurassic Park is no exception. While Spielberg only served as director for two of the films, he was a producer on all six instalments.
The beloved franchise has grossed $6 billion globally, which is a roar-some $8.7 billion (£6.8bn) in today's money.
Despite each instalment getting zanier – F9: The Fast Saga featured a car being launched into space – fans can’t seem to get enough of the action-packed fest that is Fast and the Furious.
The 10 main movies and the spin-off have collectively earned $7.3 billion, or $8.7 billion (£6.8m) when factoring in inflation. The latest entry, Fast X, dropped in May and pulled in almost $719 million (£567.4m) globally. And with several more movies in the works, this figure will only climb.
Spoiler alert: while we cover the juggernaut Marvel Cinematic Universe later on – which includes the Avengers films – we’ve also singled out The Avengers as a stand-alone franchise. That's because the superhero saga is a mega-force in its own right.
Despite being just four films, the series has pulled in almost $7.8 billion at the box office, or $9.5 billion (£7.5bn) when inflation-adjusted. The final instalment, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, with an inflation-adjusted box office total of $3.3 billion (£2.6bn).
We've begun the Batman film franchise with Tim Burton's 1989 movie, featuring Michael Keaton as the crime-fighting vigilante. Since then there have been 15 movies released cinematically, which have grossed a grand total of $6.8 billion, or $10 billion (£7.9bn) when inflation-adjusted.
Arguably the most iconic rendition of the caped crusader comes via the gritty Christopher Nolan trilogy starring Christian Bale. However, there have been some novel entries over the years, too. Consider 2017’s The Lego Batman Movie, for example, or 2019's psychological rollercoaster Joker, which starred Joaquin Phoenix. The most recent instalment, The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, hit the big screen in March 2022.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe might well include the three Marvel Spider-Man films fronted by Tom Holland, but our #5 entry features the Sony-produced movies too: the Sam Raimi trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, the two Amazing Spider-Man films starring Andrew Garfield; and the two animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse spin-offs.
The franchise has grossed $8.8 million globally, or around $11.5 billion (£9.1bn) in today's money. The latest entry, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, dropped in June and has already pulled in $686.9 million (£542m) at the time of this writing.
Based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series, the Harry Potter films have enchanted audiences since the release of the first instalment, 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
The eight Harry Potter films and the Fantastic Beasts spin-offs have grossed a spellbinding $9.6 billion, or $13.9 billion (£11bn) when factoring in inflation. What's more, a reboot of the franchise is currently in the works in the form of a TV series.
Star Wars is the third-most valuable film franchise of all time. The three main trilogies and the spin-off movies have grossed a mammoth $10.3 billion worldwide, the equivalent of $19.2 billion (£15.2bn) when converted into 2023 money.
With several new Star Wars films set to be released in the coming years, the sky really is the limit for just how much money the franchise can continue to rake in.
The first-ever James Bond film, Dr. No, was released in the UK in October 1962. This means the spy-tacular film franchise has been around for an incredible 60 years and counting. During this time, seven actors have played Agent 007 across 27 films, which have collectively grossed $7.9 billion, or $21.3 billion (£16.8bn) when inflation-adjusted.
The long-standing franchise is currently gearing up to cast its new Bond, with the likes of Idris Elba, Henry Cavill, and Regé-Jean Page all reportedly in the running to play the spy extraordinaire.
Claiming the top spot, unsurprisingly, is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since 2008’s Iron Man, there have been an incredible 32 films in the powerhouse franchise, which have collectively grossed $29.5 billion and counting. That's a truly marvellous $35.5 billion (£28bn) when adjusted for inflation into today's money.
The latest entry in the franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, dropped in May and earned an impressive $844.6 million (£666.1m). And with several new films already in the works, it looks like Marvel will remain king for some time.
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