10 Movie Franchises That Got Better With Each Film

7. The Lord Of The Rings

2001's The Fellowship of the Ring was a mammoth success for Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema, delivering a gorgeous, thrilling fantasy adventure that was, in effect, just the beginning. Fellowship earned 13 Oscar nominations and won four (Cinematography, Makeup, Original Score and Visual Effects). 2002's The Two Towers was everything a movie sequel needed to be: its was bigger, more action-packed and more emotionally resonant. Particular praise is given to the exceptional Helm's Deep sequence, and though it was only nominated for 6 Oscars, the consensus is that it builds substantially on the steady foundations of the first film. Then there's the finale, The Return of the King, which brings Tolkein's story to a close in a deeply satisfying and emotional manner, even if it does admittedly drag on a little with its numerous false endings. Return went on to win all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture, making it the only fantasy film to ever win the award, and only the second ever sequel to scoop the gong. Going by what has been seen of Jackson's Hobbit franchise so far, it looks like he might be following a similar formula there (albeit without so many Oscar nominations).