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]
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 (or an original series in the case of the Skywalker Saga) inspires further films to be made.Individual sequels are relatively common but are not always successful enough to spawn further installments.
As of 2024, the 34 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe form the highest-grossing film series even when adjusted for inflation, surpassing J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World (11 films), Star Wars (12 films), Ian Fleming's James Bond (27 films), and J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth (6 films) series.[3]
Franchise | First film | Last/latest film | Length | Number of films | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
King Kong (March 2, 1933) | (March 29, 2024) | 13 | |||
The Invisible Man (October 31, 1933) | The Invisible Man (February 27, 2020) | 8 | |||
The Mummy (December 22, 1932) | (October 23, 2018) | 19 | |||
Fantasia (November 13, 1940) | Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (May 20, 2022) | 17 | |||
Batman (July 6, 1943) | (October 7, 2022) | 17 | |||
Lassie Come Home (October 7, 1943) | Lassie Come Home (November 26, 2020)[4] | 12 | |||
Superman (January 5, 1948) | (October 7, 2022) | 14 | |||
Captain America (February 5, 1944) | (April 12, 2016) | 7 | |||
Father of the Bride (June 16, 1950) | Father of the Bride (June 16, 2022) | 6 | |||
Peter Pan (February 5, 1953)[5] | Peter Pan & Wendy (April 28, 2023) | 7 | |||
Godzilla (October 27, 1954) | (March 29, 2024) | 38 | |||
Huang Fei-hong zhuan: Bian feng mie zhu (1949) | Wong Fei-hung: Return Of The King (2018) | 123 | |||
Father of Four | Father of Four (2 November 1953) | Far til fire og vikingerne (1 October 2020) | 21 | ||
In Old Arizona (January 20, 1929) | The Cisco Kid (February 6, 1994) | 28 | |||
Cinderella (February 15, 1950) | Cinderella (February 13, 2015) | 4 | |||
Alice in Wonderland (July 26, 1951)[6] | Alice Through the Looking Glass (May 27, 2016) | 3 | |||
Sleeping Beauty (January 29, 1959) | (October 18, 2019)[7] | 3 | |||
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (January 25, 1961) | Cruella (May 28, 2021)[8] | 5 | |||
Dr. No (5 October 1962) | No Time to Die (30 September 2021)[9] | 27 | |||
Planet of the Apes (February 8, 1968) | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10, 2024) | 10 | |||
(July 22, 1967) | (February 23, 2023) | 47 | |||
The Belles of St. Trinian's (28 September 1954) | (18 December 2009) [10] | 7 | |||
Asterix the Gaul (20 December 1967) | (1 February 2023) | 16 | |||
Go Go Kamen Rider (July 19, 1971) | Shin Kamen Rider (March 17, 2023) | 95 | |||
It's Tough Being a Man (August 27, 1969) | Tora-san, Wish You Were Here (December 27, 2019) | 48 | |||
The Exorcist (December 26, 1973) | (October 6, 2023) | 6 | |||
Night of the Living Dead (October 1, 1968) | (December 29, 2017) | 12 | |||
The Man Called Flintstone (August 3, 1966) | (March 10, 2015) | 12 | |||
The Jungle Book (October 18, 1967)[11] | The Jungle Book (April 15, 2016) [12] [13] | 5 | |||
The Tale of Zatoichi (April 12, 1962) | (May 29, 2010) | 26 | |||
Shaft (July 2, 1971) | Shaft (June 14, 2019) | 5 | |||
The Omen (June 6, 1976) | The First Omen (April 5, 2024) | 6 | |||
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (October 11, 1974)[14] | Texas Chainsaw Massacre (February 18, 2022) | 9 | |||
Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (June 3, 1964) | Yogi Bear (December 17, 2010)[15] | 7 | |||
(December 19, 1975) | King Tweety (June 14, 2022) | 11 | |||
Rocky (November 21, 1976) [16] | Creed III (March 3, 2023) [17] | 9 | |||
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (1975) | Kamen Rider Saber + Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger: Superhero Senki (2021) | 61 | |||
Spider-Man (September 14, 1977) | (June 2, 2023) | 18 | |||
(August 3, 1974) | (December 6, 2019) | 43 | |||
Alien (May 25, 1979) [18] | (August 16, 2024) | 9 | |||
The Pink Panther (December 18, 1963) | The Pink Panther 2 (February 6, 2009) | 12 | |||
Mad Max (April 12, 1979) | (May 24, 2024) | 5 | |||
The Olsen Gang (11 October 1968) | The Olsen Gang in Deep Trouble (2013) | 17 | |||
Halloween (October 25, 1978) | Halloween Ends (October 14, 2022) | 13 | |||
Scooby Goes Hollywood (December 23, 1979)[19] | Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! (September 26, 2023) | 48 | |||
At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (9 November 1964) | Embodiment of Evil (August 8, 2008) | 3 | |||
Death Wish (July 24, 1974) | Death Wish (March 2, 2018) | 5 | |||
The Christmas Martian (1971) | The Outlaw League (2014) | 24 | |||
(March 15, 1980) | (March 1, 2023)[20] | 44 | |||
Star Wars (May 25, 1977) | (December 20, 2019) | 12 | |||
The Muppet Movie (May 31, 1979) | Muppets Haunted Mansion (October 8, 2021)[21] | 14 | |||
Raiders of the Lost Ark (June 12, 1981) | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30, 2023) | 5 | |||
Sonar Kella (27 December 1974) | Double Feluda (16 December 2016) | 11 | |||
The Evil Dead (October 15, 1981) | Evil Dead Rise (April 21, 2023) | 5 | |||
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (March 11, 1977) | Christopher Robin (August 3, 2018)[22] | 15 | |||
Gamera, the Giant Monster (November 27, 1965) | Gamera the Brave (April 29, 2006) | 12 | |||
Mothra (July 30, 1961) | (December 15, 2001) | 11 | |||
Ghostbusters (June 8, 1984) | (March 22, 2024) | 5 | |||
Beverly Hills Cop (December 5, 1984) | (July 3, 2024) | 4 | |||
Dune (December 14, 1984) | (March 1, 2024) | 3 | |||
The Amityville Horror (July 27, 1979) | The Amityville Murders (October 9, 2018) | 11 | |||
Shake, Rattle & Roll (December 25, 1984) | Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme (November 29, 2023) | ||||
Psycho (June 16, 1960) | Psycho (December 4, 1998) | 6 | |||
The Hobbit (November 27, 1977) | (11 December 2014) | 9 | |||
First Blood (October 22, 1982) | (September 20, 2019) | 5 | |||
(August 8, 1986)[23] | (June 9, 2023) | 8 | |||
(December 7, 1979) | Star Trek Beyond (July 22, 2016)[24] | 13 | |||
Children of the Corn (March 9, 1984) | Children of the Corn (October 23, 2020) | 11 | |||
The Love Bug (December 24, 1968) | (June 22, 2005) | 6 | |||
The Falcon Takes Over (May 29, 1942) | Marlowe (24 September 2022) | 11 | |||
(December 20, 1986) | (June 11, 2022) | 24 | |||
My Little Pony: The Movie (June 6, 1986) | (September 24, 2021) | 5 | |||
Predator (June 12, 1987) | Prey (July 21, 2022) | 7 | |||
Hellraiser (September 10, 1987) | Hellraiser (October 7, 2022) | 11 | |||
The Terminator (October 26, 1984) | (November 1, 2019) | 6 | |||
Anpanman | Soreike! Anpanman Kirakira Boshi no Namida (March 11, 1989) | Soreike! Anpanman: Roborii to Pokapoka Present (June 30, 2023) | 34 | ||
Carry On Sergeant (31 August 1958)[25] | Carry On Columbus (2 October 1992) | 31 | |||
The Little Mermaid (November 17, 1989) | The Little Mermaid (May 26, 2023) | 4 | |||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (March 30, 1990) | (August 2, 2023) | 7 | |||
Vacanze di Natale | Vacanze di Natale (1983) | Un Natale al Sud (2016) | |||
Poltergeist (June 4, 1982) | Poltergeist (May 22, 2015) | 4 | |||
National Lampoon's Vacation (July 29, 1983) | Vacation (July 29, 2015)[26] | 6 | |||
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (February 17, 1989) | Bill & Ted Face the Music (August 28, 2020) | 3 | |||
Uuno Turhapuro (24 August 1973) | Uuno Turhapuro – This Is My Life (10 September 2004) | 20 | |||
Puppet Master (October 12, 1989)[27] | Blade: The Iron Cross (2020) | 14 | |||
Tremors (January 19, 1990) | (October 20, 2020)[28] [29] [30] | 7 | |||
The Howling (March 13, 1981) | (October 18, 2011) | ||||
Child's Play (November 9, 1988) | Child's Play (June 21, 2019) | 8 | |||
Sniper (January 29, 1993) | (September 26, 2023) | 10 | |||
The Fly (July 16, 1958) | The Fly II (February 10, 1989) | 5 | |||
(October 1, 1992) | (November 15, 2022) | 17 | |||
Witchcraft (November 1988) | Witchcraft XVI: Hollywood Coven (2018) | 16 | |||
(July 24, 1993) | Shin Jigen! Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Chounouryoku Daikessen - Tobe Tobe Temakizushi (August 4, 2023)[31] | 31 | |||
(November 20, 1971) | (June 1, 2001) | ||||
(December 5, 1993) | Sailor Moon Cosmos (Part 2) (June 30, 2023) | 7 | |||
Bad Boys (April 7, 1995) | (June 7, 2024) | 4 | |||
Debbie Does Dallas | Debbie Does Dallas (1978) | Debbie Does Dallas ... Again (2007) | 12 | ||
Jurassic Park (June 11, 1993) | Jurassic World Dominion (June 10, 2022) | 6 | |||
Candyman (October 16, 1992) | Candyman (August 27, 2021) | 4 | |||
Friday the 13th (May 9, 1980) | Friday the 13th (February 13, 2009) | 12 | |||
Think Fast, Mr. Moto (August 1937)[32] | The Return of Mr. Moto (1965) | 9 | |||
Clerks (October 19, 1994) | Clerks III (September 13, 2022) | 9 | |||
(June 30, 1995) | (April 19, 2023) | 4 | |||
Ring (August 11, 1995) | Sadako DX (October 28, 2022) | 15 | |||
The Land Before Time (November 18, 1988) | (February 2, 2016) | 14 | |||
Mission: Impossible (May 22, 1996) | (July 12, 2023) | 7 | |||
Taboo (March 7, 1980) | Taboo 23 (2007) | 23 | |||
RoboCop (July 17, 1987) | RoboCop (February 12, 2014) | 4 | |||
Toy Story (November 22, 1995) | Lightyear (June 17, 2022) | 6 | |||
Aladdin (November 25, 1992) | Aladdin (May 24, 2019) | 4 | |||
Scream (December 20, 1996) | Scream VI (March 10, 2023) | 6 | |||
God of Gamblers (December 14, 1989) | From Vegas to Macau III (February 6, 2016) | 9 | |||
The Lion King (June 15, 1994) | Black is King (July 31, 2020) | 5 | |||
(April 19, 1997) | (April 14, 2023) [33] | 26 | |||
The Karate Kid (June 22, 1984) | The Karate Kid (June 11, 2010) | 5 | |||
Leprechaun (January 8, 1993) | Leprechaun Returns (December 11, 2018) | 8 | |||
The Man from Hell's River (May 1922) | The Return of Rin Tin Tin (November 1, 1947)[34] | ||||
Okay Ka, Fairy Ko!: The Movie (1991) | Enteng Kabisote 10 and the Abangers (November 30, 2016) | ||||
(December 19, 1971) | A Walton Easter (April 27, 1997) | ||||
A Nightmare on Elm Street (November 9, 1984) | A Nightmare on Elm Street (April 30, 2010) | 9 | |||
Beauty and the Beast (November 13, 1991) | Beauty and the Beast (March 17, 2017) | 5 | |||
Backlash of the Hunter (March 27, 1974) | If It Bleeds, It Leads (April 20, 1999) | 9 | |||
Digimon Adventure (March 6, 1999)[35] | (October 27, 2023) | 20 | |||
Die Hard (July 15, 1988) | A Good Day to Die Hard (February 14, 2013) | 5 | |||
X-Men (July 14, 2000) | Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26, 2024) | 14 | |||
Fantozzi (1975) | Fantozzi 2000 – La clonazione (1999) | ||||
The Matrix (March 31, 1999) | The Matrix Resurrections (December 22, 2021) | 4 | |||
Beethoven (April 3, 1992) | Beethoven’s Treasure Tail (October 28, 2014) | 8 | |||
Pokémon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back (July 18, 1998)[36] | (December 25, 2020) [37] | 24 | |||
(March 4, 2000) | (August 6, 2022) | 15 | |||
Road to Singapore (March 14, 1940) | The Road to Hong Kong (March 1962) | 7 | |||
Whispering Corridors (May 30, 1998) | The Humming (2020) | ||||
Sjors van de Rebellenclub (July 25, 1955) | Sjors en Sjimmie en het Zwaard van Krijn (July 14, 1977) | 7 | |||
Men in Black (July 2, 1997) | (June 14, 2019) | 4 | |||
The Fast and the Furious (June 22, 2001) | Fast X (May 19, 2023)[38] | 11 | |||
Shrek (May 18, 2001) | (December 21, 2022) | 6 | |||
Jumanji (December 15, 1995) | (December 13, 2019) | 4 | |||
Faces of Death | Faces of Death (November 10, 1978) | Faces of Death: Fact or Fiction? (1999) | |||
Khiladi (5 June 1992) | Khiladi 786 (7 December 2012) | ||||
Manhunter (August 15, 1986) | Hannibal Rising (February 9, 2007) | 5 | |||
Troublesome Night (10 May 1997) | Always Be with You (October 26, 2017) | 20 | |||
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (10 November 2001)[39] | (April 15, 2022) | 11 | |||
Universal Soldier (July 10, 1992) | (October 25, 2012) | 6 | |||
Camp Blood (April 4, 2000) | Children of Camp Blood (2020) | 11 | |||
Ice Age (March 15, 2002) | The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (January 28, 2022) | 6 | |||
(11 February 2000) | The Grudge (January 3, 2020) | ||||
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (November 19, 2004) | (August 2, 2024) | 4 | |||
Resident Evil (March 21, 2002) | (November 19, 2021) | 7 | |||
Saw (October 29, 2004) | Saw X (September 29, 2023) | 10 | |||
The Godfather (March 15, 1972) | The Godfather Part III (December 25, 1990) | 3 | |||
The Canary Murder Case (February 16, 1929) | Philo Vance's Secret Mission (August 30, 1947) | 15 | |||
Unbreakable (November 22, 2000) | Glass (January 18, 2019) | 3 | |||
Wangan Midnight (1991) | (2009) | 11 | |||
Kinnikuman (July 14, 1984) | Muscle Ginseng Competition! The Great Choujin War (July 20, 2002) | 7 | |||
Before Trilogy | Before Sunrise (January 19, 1995) | Before Midnight (January 20, 2013) | 3 | ||
Killjoy | Killjoy (October 24, 2000) | Killjoy’s Psycho Circus (October 30, 2016) | 5 | ||