From Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to The Walt Disney Company, Hollywood studios are constantly trying to capture audiences' attention with the next big franchise. To have one big hit movie in Hollywood is an accomplishment, but it takes much more to become a global franchise that becomes recognizable to fans all over the world. In this streaming guide, we breakdown the 20 most successful movie franchises of all time, according to their total box office gross (worldwide). We'll also show you where to watch them all on streaming services in the United States. This includes all the latest offers for franchises such as Star Wars, Marvel and Mission Impossible on services such as Netflix, Max, Apple TV+ and many more.
20. The Hunger Games ($3.2 billion)
In 20th place, we have Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games franchise. Jennifer Lawrence became a household name following the release of 2012's dystopian thriller The Hunger Games, which was based on Suzanne Collins' action-packed young adult novel of the same name. The original four entries – The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 – and its 2023 prequel series, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, have collectively grossed over $3.2 billion at the worldwide box office.
The franchise is set to continue with another prequel movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. If you want to watch Katniss Everdeen taking on the corrupt elite of Panem, check out our guide to The Hunger Games franchise in order.
19. Twilight - ($3.3 billion)
Twilight stands out among this list because it is the only franchise that isn't strictly an action, sci-fi or animated movie. Instead, it is the most successful young adult franchise of all time, even if The Hunger Games might soon overtake its box office gross with the release of Rise on the Reaping. The Twilight franchise became a global sensation throughout the 2000s, with fans choosing whether they were 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob'. It includes Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2.
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, which concluded the franchise and made $829 million worldwide. If you're bloodthirsty for romance, drama and supernatural love triangles, check out our guide to the Twilight saga in order.
18. Shrek - ($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 fairytale-inspired animated comedy immediately made Shrek, Donkey and Fiona household names – and gave fans an endless supply of jokes to reference and transform into memes for the next two decades. The success of Shrek in theaters led DreamWorks to continue the franchise with Shrek 2, which also made an impressive $935 million worldwide. The franchise also includes Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After and two spin-offs, Puss-in-Boots and Puss-in-Boots: The Last Wish.
The Shrek franchise could climb even higher up the list in 2026 due to the upcoming release of Shrek 5. If you want to rewatch one of the best animated franchises of all time, check out our guide to how to watch the Shrek franchise in order.
17. Mission: Impossible - ($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 terms of box office success, 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). If you want to relive one of Hollywood's most thrilling action franchises, here's how to watch the Mission Impossible franchise in order.
16. Pirates of the Caribbean - ($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 Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan. Disney also released the spin-off, On Stranger Tides, which grossed $240 million worldwide. If you want to return to the Caribbean to enjoy Jack, Will and Elizabeth's adventures, check out where to watch all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
15. Despicable Me/Minions - ($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. You can find out where to watch Gru and his team of lovable evildoers with our complete guide to streaming all the Minions movies here.
14. Avatar - ($5.24 billion)
James Cameron's Avatar is still the most successful movie of all time, with $2.9 billion in global box office sales. The immense success of the film resulted in long-term plans for a movie franchise, including at least four 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. You can find out where to watch the Avatar movies in order with this streaming guide.
13. Transformers - ($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 when it comes to ticket sales. 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.
If you want to watch action-packed, explosive action set during an interplanetary war between the Autobots and Deceptacons, check out where to watch every Transformers movie in order.
12. The Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit - ($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 sagas 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. Don't miss out on one of the best (if not the best) fantasy franchises of all time with JustWatch's guide to The Lord of the Rings movies in order.
11. Jurassic Park - ($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.
Whether you're interested in Jurassic Park or the more recent Jurassic World movies, you can check out where to watch all the Jurassic Park movies in order with JustWatch.
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, including the chronological and theatrically released orders, with this guide.
9. Batman - ($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.
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.
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 installment. 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.
6. The Avengers - 4 movies ($7.7 billion)
Just like Spider-Man, Marvel's Avengers have their own spot as one of the biggest movie franchises of all time – even if you exclude all other MCU movies from their total gross at the box office. 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: Doomsday in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. You can find out how to watch them all with our guide to the Marvel movies in order.
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. For international espionage from the world's greatest spy, check out where you can watch every James Bond movie in order.
4. Spider-Man - ($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.
The web-slinger also has a hit animated franchise, known as the Spider-Verse, which is yet to conclude with its third installment. For all of Peter Parker and Miles Morales' adventures, check out JustWatch's guide to the best Spider-Man movies and where to stream them all.
3. Harry Potter - ($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.
2. Star Wars - ($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.
1. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - ($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.
Where can I watch the biggest movie franchises of all time?
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!
