These days, almost every major Hollywood release is designed with franchise potential in mind. Release dates are locked in years in advance and writers are often hired before the first movie even hits theaters. With blockbuster cinema increasingly built around the brand recognition and established fan-bases that come with franchises, these big-budget features basically market themselves and are almost guaranteed to do solid box office business. However, commercial success isn't exactly a guaranteed mark of quality anymore. In some cases, lackluster sequels are churned out every couple of years in order to strike the iron while its hot and generate the maximum amount of income. In other cases, a lengthy gap between installments builds anticipation to fever pitch by the time the release date rolls around, all-but-guaranteeing a surefire hit. And of course, if a franchise stumbles at the box office, then there's a high possibility that a reboot is just around the corner. Then there are those rare exceptions when every movie is both a critical and commercial success, though these are sadly few and far between. With than in mind, this article will look at the 20 highest-grossing movie franchises of all time and rank them from worst to best. Somewhat surprisingly, there are some big-name franchises that don't manage to crack the top 20 with Superman, The Terminator and Die Hard three notable absentees. These rankings are based on the quality of the franchise as a whole rather than the individual merits of each movie, so read on to see which blockbuster series comes out on top. Do you agree with these rankings? Is it surprising that any of these franchises count amongst the 20 most lucrative in history? As always, sign off in the comments below.
20. The Twilight Saga (2008-2012)
Summit EntertainmentThe Twilight Saga was a series of literary adaptations seemingly designed for fans of the source material and no-one else. Sparking a cultural phenomenon and making instant stars of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, the five movies in the franchise earned well over $3.3bn at the box office, despite none of them actually being any good. The movies seem to have very little fans outside of the target audience, but it's doubtful that anyone dislikes the Twilight Saga more than Robert Pattinson, which is saying something. Despite becoming the first young adult series to catch on at the box office outside of the Harry Potter juggernaut, all five entries in the franchise are interminably dull affairs. Catherine Hardwicke, Chris Weitz, David Slade and Bill Condon (twice) are all solid directors that had a shot behind the camera, but none failed to elevate the material above the stilted dialogue, wooden acting, turgid pacing and po-faced seriousness that became the franchise's hallmark.
I don't do social media, so like or follow me in person but please maintain a safe distance or the authorities will be notified. Don't snap me though, I'll probably break. I was once labelled a misogynist on this very site in a twenty paragraph-long rant for daring to speak ill of the Twilight franchise. I stand by what I said, it's crap.
Summit EntertainmentThe Twilight Saga was a series of literary adaptations seemingly designed for fans of the source material and no-one else. Sparking a cultural phenomenon and making instant stars of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, the five movies in the franchise earned well over $3.3bn at the box office, despite none of them actually being any good. The movies seem to have very little fans outside of the target audience, but it's doubtful that anyone dislikes the Twilight Saga more than Robert Pattinson, which is saying something. Despite becoming the first young adult series to catch on at the box office outside of the Harry Potter juggernaut, all five entries in the franchise are interminably dull affairs. Catherine Hardwicke, Chris Weitz, David Slade and Bill Condon (twice) are all solid directors that had a shot behind the camera, but none failed to elevate the material above the stilted dialogue, wooden acting, turgid pacing and po-faced seriousness that became the franchise's hallmark.