15 Massive Movie Franchises That Have More Great Entries Than Rubbish Ones
1. Carry On
Total Number of Films: 31
Great: Carry On Sergeant, Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher, Carry On Constable, Carry On Cruising, Carry On Cabbie, Carry On Jack, Carry On Spying, Carry On Cleo, Carry On Screaming, Carry On Don't Lose Your Head, Carry On Follow That Camel, Carry On Doctor, Carry On Up The Khyber, Carry On Camping, Carry On Again Doctor, Carry On Up The Jungle, Carry On Henry, Carry On At Your Convenience, Carry On Matron, Carry On Dick
Rubbish: Carry On Regardless, Carry On Loving, Carry On Abroad, Carry On Girls, Carry On Behind, Carry On England, That's Carry On, Carry On Emmannuelle, Carry On Columbus
With 30 movies produced in 20 years, and a 31st made 14 years later (although that's better left forgotten), the double entendres-ridden comedy series Carry On remains the most prolific film franchise ever to come out of Great Britain. Their brand of humour may have fallen in and out of favour over the years, and many would sniff at the notion of them ever being considered important works of cinema; but again, as with the likes of Hammer, Bond or Godzilla, these are movies which you sit down to watch knowing exactly what you're going to get, and as such even the lesser entries retain some intrinsic entertainment value.
At their best - notably the mid-60s entries which spoofed the popular films of the day (i.e. Spying, Cleo, Cowboy, Screaming) - Carry On ranks among the funniest spoof cinema ever made. At their worst - mostly the more overtly smutty 1970s entries, and the misguided 1992 revival Columbus - they offer little more than cheap innuendo and boobs (if there's anything wrong with those things).
Either way, half the fun of any rude joke comes from knowing you should know better than to laugh. The Carry Ons continue to inspire that reaction to this day, typically in the form of a raucous 'yuck-yuck-yuck, gor blimey!' in the immortal style of Sid James.
How do you rate these film franchises? Are there any others you feel warrant a mention? Let us know in the comments section below.