Film series

A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series.^[1]

This article explains what film series are and gives brief examples of movie series. The body shows a list of the most popular film series and franchises in the United States and Canada.^[2]

Description[]

Sometimes the work is conceived from the beginning as a multiple-film work – for example, the Three Colours series – but in most cases the success of the original film inspires further films to be made. Individual sequels are relatively common, but are not always successful enough to spawn further installments.

The 27 films (as of 2022) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe form the highest grossing film series even when adjusted for inflation, surpassing J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World (10 films) Star Wars (11 films), Ian Fleming's James Bond (25 films), and J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth (6 films) series.^[3]

Box office[]

 Background shading indicates that at least one film in the series is playing in the week commencing 11 February 2022 in theaters around the world.

Highest-grossing franchises and film series^[§]

(The films in each franchise can be viewed by selecting "show".)

Rank Series Total worldwide gross No. of films Average of films Highest-grossing film

1 Marvel Cinematic UniverseS $25,605,833,111 27 $948,364,189 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,501,328) The Infinity Saga $22,587,903,034 23 $982,082,741 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,501,328) Phase Three $13,504,967,341 11 $1,227,724,304 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,501,328) 1 Avengers: Endgame (2019) $2,797,501,328 2 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) $2,048,359,754 3 Black Panther (2018) $1,347,280,838 4 Captain America: Civil War (2016) $1,153,329,473 5 Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) $1,131,928,519 6 Captain Marvel (2019) $1,128,274,794 7 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) $880,166,924 8 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) $863,756,051 9 Thor: Ragnarok (2017) $853,977,126 10 Doctor Strange (2016) $677,718,395 11 Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) $622,674,139 Phase Two $5,269,097,055 6 $878,182,843 Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1,402,809,540) 1 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) $1,402,809,540 2 Iron Man 3 (2013) $1,214,811,252 3 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) $773,328,629 4 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) $714,264,267 5 Thor: The Dark World (2013) $644,571,402 6 Ant-Man (2015) $519,311,965 Phase One $3,811,244,484 6 $635,207,414 The Avengers ($1,518,812,988) 1 The Avengers (2012) $1,518,812,988 2 Iron Man 2 (2010) $623,933,331 3 Iron Man (2008) $585,174,222 4 Thor (2011) $449,326,618 5 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) $370,569,774 6 The Incredible Hulk (2008) $263,427,551 Phase Four $3,017,930,077 4 $754,482,519 Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1,804,000,817) 1 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) $1,804,000,817 2 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) $432,233,010 3 Eternals (2021) $402,064,899 4 Black Widow (2021) $379,631,351

2 Star Wars $10,315,843,646 12 $859,653,637 The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) Skywalker saga $8,798,578,722 9 $977,619,858 The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) Sequel trilogy $4,474,907,761 3 $1,491,635,920 The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 1 VII – The Force Awakens (2015) $2,068,223,624 2 VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) $1,332,539,889 3 IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) $1,074,144,248 Prequel trilogy $2,525,197,773 3 $841,732,591 The Phantom Menace ($1,027,044,677) 1 I – The Phantom Menace (1999) $1,027,044,677 2 III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) $848,754,768 3 II – Attack of the Clones (2002) $649,398,328 Original trilogy $1,798,473,188 3 $599,491,063 A New Hope ($775,398,007) 1 IV – A New Hope (1977) $775,398,007 2 V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) $547,969,004 3 VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) $475,106,177 Anthology films $1,448,982,080 2 $724,491,040 Rogue One ($1,056,057,273) 1 Rogue One (2016) $1,056,057,273 2 Solo (2018) $392,924,807 The Clone Wars (2008) $68,282,844

3 Spider-Man $9,519,665,082 11 $865,424,098 No Way Home ($1,804,000,817) Marvel Cinematic Universe $3,816,096,260 3 $1,272,032,087 No Way Home ($1,804,000,817) 1 No Way Home (2021) $1,804,000,817 2 Far From Home (2019) $1,131,928,519 3 Homecoming (2017) $880,166,924 Raimi series $2,502,979,488 3 $834,326,496 Spider-Man 3 ($890,871,626) 1 Spider-Man 3 (2007) $890,871,626 2 Spider-Man (2002) $821,708,551 3 Spider-Man 2 (2004) $783,766,341 4 Spider-Man/Men in Black II (combo) $6,632,970 Webb series $1,466,912,986 2 $733,456,493 The Amazing Spider-Man ($757,930,663) 1 The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) $757,930,663 2 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) $708,982,323 Sony's Spider-Man Universe $1,358,135,517 2 $679,067,759 Venom ($856,085,151) 1 Venom (2018) $856,085,151 2 Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) $502,050,366 Into the Spider-Verse (2018) $375,540,831

4 Wizarding World $9,245,715,278 10 $924,571,528 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($1,342,025,430) Harry Potter series $7,776,820,869 8 $972,102,609 Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($1,341,693,157) 1 Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) $1,342,025,430 2 Philosopher's Stone (2001) $1,006,968,171 3 Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) $977,043,483 4 Order of the Phoenix (2007) $942,900,866 5 Half-Blood Prince (2009) $934,394,929 6 Goblet of Fire (2005) $896,374,191 7 Chamber of Secrets (2002) $880,295,582 8 Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) $796,818,217 Fantastic Beasts series $1,468,894,409 2 $734,447,205 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ($814,038,508) 1 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) $814,038,508 2 The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) $654,855,901

5 James Bond $7,832,954,730 27 $290,109,434 Skyfall ($1,108,561,013) Eon series $7,631,210,012 25 $305,248,400 Skyfall ($1,108,561,013) Daniel Craig's Bond $3,965,982,268 5 $793,196,454 Skyfall ($1,108,561,013) 1 Skyfall (2012) $1,108,561,013 2 Spectre (2015) $880,674,609 3 No Time to Die (2021) $774,153,007 4 Casino Royale (2006) $616,502,912 5 Quantum of Solace (2008) $586,090,727 Pierce Brosnan's Bond $1,479,008,618 4 $369,752,155 Die Another Day ($431,971,116) 1 Die Another Day (2002) $431,971,116 2 The World Is Not Enough (1999) $361,832,400 3 GoldenEye (1995) $352,194,034 4 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) $333,011,068 Roger Moore's Bond $1,151,600,000 7 $164,514,286 Moonraker ($210,300,000) 1 Moonraker (1979) $210,300,000 2 For Your Eyes Only (1981) $194,900,000 3 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) $185,400,000 4 Octopussy (1983) $183,700,000 5 A View to a Kill (1985) $152,400,000 6 Live and Let Die (1973) $126,400,000 7 The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) $98,500,000 Sean Connery's Bond $621,500,000 6 $103,583,333 Thunderball ($141,200,000) 1 Thunderball (1965) $141,200,000 2 Goldfinger (1964) $124,900,000 3 Diamonds Are Forever (1971) $116,000,000 4 You Only Live Twice (1967) $101,000,000 5 From Russia with Love (1963) $78,900,000 6 Dr. No (1962) $59,500,000 Timothy Dalton's Bond $347,400,000 2 $173,700,000 The Living Daylights ($191,200,000) 1 The Living Daylights (1987) $191,200,000 2 Licence to Kill (1989) $156,200,000 George Lazenby's Bond $64,600,000 1 $64,600,000 On Her Majesty's Secret Service ($64,600,000) 1 On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) $64,600,000 Never Say Never Again (1983) $160,000,000 Casino Royale (1967) $41,744,718

6 Avengers $7,767,483,610 4 $1,941,870,903 Endgame ($2,797,501,328) 1 Endgame (2019) $2,797,501,328 2 Infinity War (2018) $2,048,359,754 3 The Avengers (2012) $1,518,812,988 4 Age of Ultron (2015) $1,402,809,540

7 The Fast and the Furious $6,620,181,780 10 $662,018,178 Furious 7 ($1,516,045,911) The Fast Saga $5,861,124,845 9 $651,236,094 Furious 7 ($1,516,045,911) 1 Furious 7 (2015) $1,516,045,911 2 The Fate of the Furious (2017)F8 $1,238,764,765 3 Fast & Furious 6 (2013) $788,679,850 4 F9 (2021) $726,229,501 5 Fast Five (2011) $626,137,675 6 Fast & Furious (2009) $363,164,265 7 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) $236,350,661 8 The Fast and the Furious (2001) $207,283,925 9 Tokyo Drift (2006) $158,468,292 Hobbs & Shaw (2019) $759,056,935

8 X-Men $6,083,343,812 13 $467,949,524 Deadpool 2 ($785,046,920) Main series $3,061,275,291 7 $437,325,042 Days of Future Past ($747,862,775) 1 Days of Future Past (2014) $747,862,775 2 Apocalypse (2016) $543,934,787 3 The Last Stand (2006) $459,359,555 4 X2 (2003) $407,711,549 5 First Class (2011) $353,624,124 6 X-Men (2000) $296,339,527 7 Dark Phoenix (2019) $252,442,974 Deadpool series $1,568,159,899 2 $784,079,950 Deadpool 2 ($785,046,920) 1 Deadpool 2 (2018) $785,046,920 2 Deadpool (2016) $783,112,979 Wolverine series $1,406,912,546 3 $468,970,849 Logan ($619,021,436) 1 Logan (2017) $619,021,436 2 The Wolverine (2013) $414,828,246 3 Origins: Wolverine (2009) $373,062,864 The New Mutants (2020) $46,996,076

9 Batman $6,068,752,538 16 $379,297,034 The Dark Knight Rises ($1,081,142,612) Nolan series $2,461,334,930 3 $820,444,977 The Dark Knight Rises ($1,081,142,612) 1 The Dark Knight Rises (2012) $1,081,142,612 2 The Dark Knight (2008) $1,005,973,645 3 Batman Begins (2005) $374,218,673 Burton/Schumacher series $1,253,192,682 4 $313,298,171 Batman ($411,556,825) 1 Batman (1989) $411,556,825 2 Batman Forever (1995) $336,567,531 3 Batman Returns (1992) $266,832,411 4 Batman & Robin (1997) $238,235,915 Joker (2019) $1,074,251,311 DC Extended Universe $873,634,919 1 $873,634,919 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873,634,919) 1 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) $873,634,919 The Lego Batman Movie (2017) $311,950,384 Catwoman (2004) $82,102,379 Mask of the Phantasm (1993) $5,617,391 DC Universe Animated Original Movies $4,501,125 2 $2,250,563 The Killing Joke ($4,462,034) 1 The Killing Joke (2016) $4,462,034 2 Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) $39,091 1960s TV series $3,957,343 2 $1,978,672 Batman: The Movie ($3,900,000) 1 Batman: The Movie (1966)*R $3,900,000 2 Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) $57,343

10 Middle-earth $5,953,077,710 7 $850,439,673 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1,146,030,912) Jackson series $5,922,606,290 6 $987,101,048 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1,146,030,912) The Lord of the Rings $2,991,216,079 3 $997,072,026 The Return of the King ($1,146,030,912) 1 The Return of the King (2003) $1,146,030,912 2 The Two Towers (2002) $947,495,095 3 The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $897,690,072 The Hobbit $2,931,390,211 3 $977,130,070 An Unexpected Journey ($1,021,103,568) 1 An Unexpected Journey (2012) $1,017,003,568 2 The Desolation of Smaug (2013) $958,366,855 3 The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) $956,019,788 The Lord of the Rings (1978) $30,471,420

11 DC Extended UniverseS $5,818,833,102 10 $581,883,310 Aquaman ($1,148,485,886) 1 Aquaman (2018) $1,148,485,886 2 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) $873,634,919 3 Wonder Woman (2017) $821,847,012 4 Suicide Squad (2016) $746,846,894 5 Man of Steel (2013) $668,045,518 6 Justice League (2017) $657,924,295 7 Shazam! (2019) $365,971,656 8 Birds of Prey (2020) $201,858,461 9 The Suicide Squad (2021) $167,417,425 10 Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) $166,801,036

12 Jurassic Park $4,998,557,380 5 $999,711,476 Jurassic World ($1,671,713,208) Jurassic World $2,981,197,669 2 $1,490,598,835 Jurassic World ($1,671,713,208) 1 Jurassic World (2015) $1,671,713,208 2 Fallen Kingdom (2018) $1,309,484,461 Jurassic Park trilogy $2,017,359,711 3 $672,453,237 Jurassic Park ($1,029,939,903) 1 Jurassic Park (1993) $1,029,939,903 2 The Lost World (1997) $618,638,999 3 Jurassic Park III (2001) $368,780,809

13 Transformers $4,853,126,073 7 $693,303,725 Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) Bay series $4,379,286,781 5 $875,857,356 Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) 1 Dark of the Moon (2011) $1,123,794,079 2 Age of Extinction (2014) $1,104,054,072 3 Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $836,303,693 4 Transformers (2007) $709,709,780 5 The Last Knight (2017) $605,425,157 Bumblebee (2018) $467,989,645 The Transformers: The Movie (1986) $6,469,244

14 Pirates of the Caribbean $4,524,439,761 5 $904,887,952 Dead Man's Chest ($1,066,179,725) 1 Dead Man's Chest (2006) $1,066,179,725 2 On Stranger Tides (2011) $1,045,713,802 3 At World's End (2007) $963,420,425 4 Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) $794,861,794 5 The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) $654,264,015

15 Despicable Me $3,708,073,676 4 $927,018,419 Minions ($1,159,398,397) Main series $2,548,675,279 3 $849,558,426 Despicable Me 3 ($1,034,799,409) 1 Despicable Me 3 (2017) $1,034,799,409 2 Despicable Me 2 (2013) $970,761,885 3 Despicable Me (2010) $543,113,985 Minions (2015) $1,159,398,397

16 Mission: Impossible $3,570,477,227 6 $595,079,538 Fallout ($791,115,104) 1 Fallout (2018) $791,115,104 2 Ghost Protocol (2011) $694,713,380 3 Rogue Nation (2015) $682,714,267 4 Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) $546,388,105 5 Mission: Impossible (1996) $457,696,359 6 Mission: Impossible III (2006) $397,850,012

17 Shrek $3,510,794,482 5 $702,158,896 Shrek 2 ($919,838,758) Main series $2,955,807,005 4 $738,951,751 Shrek 2 ($919,838,758) 1 Shrek 2 (2004) $919,838,758 2 Shrek the Third (2007) $798,958,162 3 Shrek Forever After (2010) $752,600,867 4 Shrek (2001) $484,409,218 Puss in Boots (2011) $554,987,477

18 The Twilight Saga $3,346,157,056 5 $669,231,411 Breaking Dawn – Part 2 ($829,746,820) 1 Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) $829,746,820 2 Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011) $712,205,856 3 New Moon (2009) $709,711,008 4 Eclipse (2010) $698,491,347 5 Twilight (2008) $393,616,788 6 Twilight / New Moon Combo (2010) $2,385,237

19 Ice Age $3,217,251,681 5 $643,450,336 Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($886,686,817) 1 Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) $886,686,817 2 Continental Drift (2012) $877,244,782 3 The Meltdown (2006) $661,483,908 4 Collision Course (2016) $408,579,038 5 Ice Age (2002) $383,257,136

20 Toy Story $3,043,569,798 4 $760,892,450 Toy Story 4 ($1,073,394,593) 1 Toy Story 4 (2019) $1,073,394,593 2 Toy Story 3 (2010) $1,066,969,703 3 Toy Story 2 (1999) $497,366,869 4 Toy Story (1995) $373,554,033 5 Toy Story / Toy Story 2 (3D) (2009) $32,284,600

21 The Hunger Games $2,968,191,442 4 $742,047,861 Catching Fire ($865,011,746) 1 Catching Fire (2013) $865,011,746 2 Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) $755,356,711 3 The Hunger Games (2012) $694,394,724 4 Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) $653,428,261

22 Frozen $2,740,026,933 2 $1,370,013,467 Frozen II ($1,450,026,933) 1 Frozen II (2019) $1,450,026,933 2 Frozen (2013) $1,290,000,000

23 The Lion King $2,625,427,171 2 $1,312,713,586 The Lion King (2019) ($1,656,943,394) 1 The Lion King (2019) $1,656,943,394 2 The Lion King (1994) $968,483,777

24 Superman $2,554,837,548 9 $283,870,839 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873,634,919) DC Extended Universe $1,541,680,437 2 $770,840,219 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873,634,919) 1 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) $873,634,919 2 Man of Steel (2013) $668,045,518 Original series $622,048,041 5 $124,409,608 Superman ($300,451,603) Christopher Reeve films $607,751,603 4 $151,937,901 Superman ($300,451,603) 1 Superman (1978) $300,451,603 2 Superman II (1980) $190,400,000 3 Superman III (1983) $80,200,000 4 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) $36,700,000 Supergirl (1984)* $14,296,438 Superman Returns (2006) $391,081,192 Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen (2018) $27,878

25 Iron Man $2,423,918,805 3 $807,972,935 Iron Man 3 ($1,214,811,252) 1 Iron Man 3 (2013) $1,214,811,252 2 Iron Man 2 (2010) $623,933,331 3 Iron Man (2008) $585,174,222

See also[]

• Lists of feature film series
• Highest-grossing franchises and film series
• Media franchise
• List of highest-grossing media franchises

References[]