15 Massive Movie Franchises That Have More Great Entries Than Rubbish Ones

8. Harry Potter

Total Number of Films: 8

Great: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Rubbish: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

It's easy to forget now that, when the first Harry Potter movie arrived, no one was at all convinced that the idea of filming all seven of JK Rowling's books (not all of which had been published when the films began) with the same cast and creative team was at all feasible. However, producer David Heyman and company made it happen, making seven films which not only the novels, but also stand on their own as worthwhile family-friendly fantasy films.

As for that one of the eight movies that doesn't quite hold up... what can we say about sixth instalment The Half-Blood Prince? The dramatic, series-changing events of its final act notwithstanding, it's just a bit nondescript. The plot's rather bland and forgettable, and there's no avoiding the sense that it's little more than preamble for the epic conclusion of the two-volume Deathly Hallows. Much the same can be said of Rowling's novel, for that matter.