15. Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003-2011)
Walt Disney PicturesGore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean surprised everyone when it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable summer movies of the 21st Century, loaded with spectacular action, plenty of humor and an instant cinematic icon thanks to Johnny Depp's Academy Award-nominated performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. This marked the high point of the franchise and the sequels have been increasingly disappointing, although that hasn't stopped the series earning over $3.7bn. Follow-up Dead Man's Chest smashed box office records when it was released and provided an entertaining sequel, although there was the sense that it was merely a placeholder for concluding chapter At World's End. Despite some stunning CGI and great action sequences, the two sequels were bogged down by too many characters, bloated running times and an often-incomprehensible plot that saw the franchise border on tedium. On Stranger Tides dropped most of the original cast but still suffered from many of the same problems, with the increased emphasis on Jack Sparrow putting the character in real danger of wearing out his welcome. Here's hoping fifth entry Dead Men Tell No Tales manages to capture the spirit of the original movie rather than the convoluted and often plain dull sequels.