The film industry is a constant flow of changing songs and releases that we as film lovers have to keep an eye on. While the public may not be as interested in the profitable numbers as the franchises themselves, it is always mind-boggling to see how many people around the world are paying for the same movie ticket as you. More than that, box office numbers tell studios which films are doing well and which are not, which influences directors’ decisions about future projects they might invest in.
With the release of Spider-Man: No Way Homewho caught up Avatarat the domestic box office, and this year the premiere of the batter starring Robert Pattinson, the stats for the most profitable franchise will inevitably continue to change. Check out the 10 highest-grossing movie franchises of all time as of October 2022.
Updated October 26, 2022: If you still love popular movie franchises, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with additional content and submissions.
12/12 Jurassic Park – $5B
It is a pity that the Jurassic World episodes aren’t nearly the same as the original, but there’s still potential for current and future filmmakers to revive this dinosaur-focused franchise. Based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, the original Jurassic Park imagines what could happen if genetic scientists made it possible for dinosaurs to return to Earth and inhabit a theme park. Notable A-listers from the film distribution include Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Chris Pratt, and Bryce Dallas Howard.
11/12 DC Expanded Universe – $5.6 billion
The Justice League is one of the most recognizable superhero teams in the world. When it comes to franchises, the films featuring DC’s beloved characters often compete against Marvel’s hit films (see more about the MCU below). The heroes of DC Comics often come together to stop a great, huge threat. Though they’ve had different members over the years, the team is more recognizable for DC Comics’ trinity: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. According to CNBCthe DCEU‘s feature films – though they sometimes received mixed reviews – have collectively racked up an impressive box office total, reaching $5.6 billion.
10/12 The Lord of the Rings – $5.8 Billion
There has been a lot of discussion about the Prime Video TV series called Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power since the release and conclusion of the first season. The disappointment turns out to be universal: from the costumes, to beardless dwarves, and to the fact that they get a lot of details wrong. It probably won’t win too many audiences like the original trilogy had managed to. We’re talking about a trilogy directed by Peter Jackson that shot all three movies at the same time, starring big names like Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, and Orlando Bloom. Jackson has definitely set the bar high for fantasy franchises, seen Under the spell of the Ring trilogy has grossed over $5.8 billion.
9/12 X-Men — $6.07B
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are at it again and have rightfully taken the credit for creating the X-Men Mutants and have made it the eighth highest-grossing movie franchise of all time at $6.07 billion. Since Marvel Studios acquired the rights to the X-Men franchise, it was only a matter of time before the on-screen worlds melded together. With the recent release of Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, we can definitely confirm that the X-Men will be making an appearance in the MCU franchise soon. While there have been some fandom disputes already, we’re excited to see how this plays out.
8/12 Fast and Furious – $6.6 Billion
Looking back on the Fast and furious franchise, it can get a little ridiculous and unrealistic – and yet you can’t help but love it completely. The franchise has grossed more than $6.6 billion in 20 years to date. We have two more movies to look forward to, which concludes the series. The franchise perfectly combines the family feeling with danger and illegal misdeeds. We can also thank it for pushing Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to stardom.
7/12 Batman – $6.8B
With the release of the batter starring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz earlier this year, Batman franchise has moved up a few places. The DC Comics hero has been adapted more than 13 times in 82 years, and the craze isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. $6.8 billion is indeed more than enough to confirm that the fandom wants to see more of Gotham City’s Caped Crusader.
6/12 The Avengers – $7.76B
We all know how massive the MCU is, but you have to admit that four movies alone grossing over $7.76 billion is more than impressive. Does anyone ever have the avengers quadrilogy independent of the other films? Does it still make sense? Sometimes it feels nostalgic to think back to what it was like in 2012, when everyone had their floor in the Avenger’s Tower. But we have to accept that the chapter is already closed – for now. With new MCU heroes joining the fray, new Avengers team ups and formations are bound to happen.
5/12 James Bond — $7.88B
Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have all portrayed the agent 007 named James Bond from 1962 to 2021. This equates to 27 films that have grossed more than $7.88 billion worldwide. Despite some criticism of the franchise’s narrative elements, it’s no secret that Bond is the most famous spy character in cinema history. The amount of speculation that has gone into the search for the next James Bond is testament to the franchise’s longevity.
4/12 Harry Potter – $9.20B
The success of the Harry Potter book series was a great indicator of how the movies would fare when Warner Bros. decided to develop them. Ten films have grossed more than $9.20 billion worldwide. All four directors who worked on the films (Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates) put their unique spin on the style and storytelling. The Fantastic Beasts series is a great spin-off prequel, but we would also definitely like to see a series dedicated to the Marauders era at Hogwarts.
3/12 Spider Man – $9.25B
It is only recently that the Spider Man franchise took Harry Potterranked third as the highest-grossing movie franchise. It’s all thanks to the release of the latest Spider-Man: No Way Home film, which has grossed more than $1.53 billion worldwide. Although Kevin Feige has confirmed they are developing a fourth MCU Spider Man movie, it’s hard to say how it will play out given the ongoing conflict between Disney and Sony. Regardless of the drama and the disputes, Spider Man still ranks third with grossing over $9.25 billion.
2/12 Star Wars — $10.31B
Nine films that have grossed over $10.31 billion and all have been nominated for Academy Awards at some point – this is the clearest possible indication of both critical and commercial success. We wonder if George Lucas’ intention was to turn a science fiction film into a pop cultural phenomenon, something never seen before the 1970s. With three separate movie trilogies and another planned trilogy on the way, it’s safe to say so Star Wars will more than likely keep its spot on this list.
1/12 Marvel Cinematic Universe – $27.3 Billion
Finally, we’ve got a franchise that’s so far ahead with box office numbers, it’s virtually impossible to take its place. It certainly helps that there are more than two dozen movies in the franchise to date, but it doesn’t mean that every single one of those movies isn’t commercial successes indeed. From Iron Man in 2008 to, most recently, Thor: Love and Thunder in July 2022, the Marvel Cinematic Universe proves again and again that there are more stories to tell. Even though some fear the universe is getting too complicated and nonsensical, the $27.3 billion is a sign they won’t stop anytime soon.