10 Franchises That Made It To Episode 7 Before Star Wars

What's the story?

In the most successful film franchise of all time (at least until the world conquering Marvel Cinematic Universe created a mega-franchise out of a bunch of individual series), a boy with magical powers gets in a series of perilous situations that match up surprisingly closely with the course of the school year, essentially guaranteeing he'll have seven adventures for seven secondary school years.

What's in Part 7?

For once Harry, Hermione and Ron don't go to Hogwarts in the seventh episode, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 1, instead spending the movie on the run from the Dark Lord Who Must Not Be Named and his Death Eater minions, all while trying to track down horcruxes and hallows.

How does it compare to the previous six?

While liberating the story from its school year formula is refreshing after six previous movies, it also leaves the film a little lost and meandering. Just like The Hunger Games and other franchises whose finales split the last book in two, we essentially end up with this film being all waiting around for the big action to happen and the next one all action and little else.

Did it go beyond seven?

While there were only ever seven Harry Potter books, the split in the last one meant that we were always going to reach the cinematic climax in eight.

Meanwhile, the enormous earning power that the franchise brought to Warner Bros. meant that it would never stop there, which brings us to Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, the first in what may end up being an extended Potter-verse franchise and perhaps the best indication for Star Wars that there's life in a seven part and expanded world franchise.