Entertainment
10 Most Iconic Movie Franchises of All Time, Ranked
Movies. What can be said that hasn’t been said likely a trillion times over by almost every voice in the world by now? Film has not only helped shape pop culture as we know it, but it’s helped the world—social and political climates alike—as the medium continues to evolve and grow. With that, there are specific franchises that have helped lead the charge.
Whether they’ve become the highest-grossing franchise on the planet, changed the world and pop culture as they know it, or are simply extremely beloved by all, these movie franchises are quite easily some of the most iconic there are. Without these franchises, the world simply would not be what it is today.
10
Shrek (2001–)
One of the most impactful and high-quality animated series of all time is quite easily the Shrek collection of films. With the likes of Pixar and Disney Animation at the head of the animated film game at the time, the first entry in the series. Shrek totally changed the game and offered a project that was not only for children, but appealed to the adults as well, with crude humor that could go over kids’ heads while adults could bask in the humor.
Animation was proven to not just be for the kiddos. Everyone can enjoy it. This makes it not only iconic, but very important to the entire animated film space. Shrek tells a heartfelt story with every entry, and pushes for self-acceptance for all audiences. It’s a great franchise all around and has done so much for cinema.
9
Jurassic Park (1993–)
Starting as a novel three years prior to the film in 1990, the Jurassic Park franchise has grown to become one of the most famous horror/action series. First brought to life by Steven Spielberg, the first Jurassic Park was one of the most unique horror films of the time (and many argue still is in the modern day), and since, it has grown into a major motion picture action franchise.
Some enjoy the new, more action-oriented Jurassic World saga of the franchise, and some definitely do not. Regardless of this, the franchise has not only made a plethora of money at the box office with every entry, but has one of the largest directional shifts in a film franchise to this day. Love it or hate it, this has made the Jurassic Park franchise pretty iconic.
8
Avatar (2009–)
James Cameron absolutely changed the game for visual effects in film in 2009 with his massive hit, Avatar. It is still, even in 2026, the highest-grossing movie of all time (though it did battle it out with Avengers: Endgame for a bit), which alone makes it super iconic. This has led to Cameron becoming one of the most hailed directors in the current film landscape.
With every movie that releases in the series—most recently Avatar: Fire and Ash—Cameron proves the worth of this franchise and the audience shows him that with how many people come out to see them. There seems to be no stopping this director or this series from being one of the best their is, and no one is complaining.
7
Harry Potter (2001–2011)
Harry Potter is another franchise that was birthed from a largely popular book series. Upon release in 2001, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone introduced audiences to the Wizarding World, and they almost instantly fell in love. One of the biggest appeals of the series was that audiences got to grow with these kids, with each new movie bringing a new year to Hogwarts, and another year of the kids’ lives.
Getting to see an evolution like this in characters and plot had people massively invested in the franchise. Something like this hadn’t really ever been seen in film before. It was an exciting experience, and keeps the series feeling memorable to this day. People feel profoundly connected to these characters, which has kept the series alive to this day.
6
James Bond (1962–)
One of the longest-running film franchises of all time is the action-packed spy series known as James Bond. This is a super special series that has held its longevity by consistently introducing new actors as the titular character for each new saga. Not many other franchises decide to take on this strategy, making James Bond stand out among the rest.
This has led to many different interpretations of the character over the decades—different actors and different stories through them all. Having a franchise that seemingly never dies is a great idea on the studio’s part, as it keeps people invested in what could come next and who could be the next actor to portray the great super spy himself.
5
Batman (1966–)
Much like James Bond, superhero films have taken on a similar approach when it comes to keeping their franchises alive—changing actors as the franchise evolves. Batman is one of the most popular superheroes of all time, so it only makes sense that his films seemingly never stop coming out. He’s a favorite among many and has had some incredible evolution over his cinema tenure.
Some younger audiences may not know that, at the beginning, he was far goofier than he is now, via the Adam West adaptation. As the franchise has grown, it’s gone on to hold some incredible films—The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan being known as one of the best superhero movies of all time—and that’s proof of how quality the Batman franchise has always managed to be.
4
Spider-Man (1977–)
With the well-known fact that Spider-Man is the most profitable superhero of all time, it stands to reason that Marvel Comics and Sony Pictures Entertainment (the owners of the Spider-Man movie and partial television licensing) would want to start and keep making Spider-Man movies to break the box office. Spider-Man is one of the most relatable and beloved superheroes because he’s an everyman, which makes him appealing to audiences and keeps them coming out to see him in action. Also, not to many people’s knowledge, but it—like many of the other most iconic franchises out there—Spider-Man also holds one of the longest-running franchises out there. He’s had minor live-action films far before his 2002 theatrical debut.
Whether he’s being played by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, or one of the many portrayals in the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse franchise, the character always delivers something great. Maguire’s first Spider-Man movie served as one of the first high-flying superhero movies of the modern age that set the standard alongside X-Men, the huge legal deal between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment to get the character involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe proved how important the character is to the industry, and the excellence of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse redefined the cinematic animation space forever. The proof in the pudding of Spider-Man’s worth makes his franchise more than iconic.
3
The Lord of the Rings (2001–2014)
Arguably the most popular and earliest high-stakes action/adventures fantasy franchise is none other than Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings. Based on the novel by the legendary author, J. R. R. Tolkien, these films (which include the eventual prequel series, The Hobbit) arguably changed film forever when they first released in 2001 thanks to how much they changed the realm of visual/special effects to achieve creating a world like this.
Before James Cameron did so with Avatar, The Lord of the Rings shifted the ground beneath everyone with how it accomplished its visuals. Not to mention, they’re some of the greatest fantasy stories told in cinema, much like their reputation in the literature space. These movies are beloved to this day—to the point that they continue to get re-releases in theaters everywhere every once in a while.
2
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008–)
When Iron Man debuted in 2008, the world changed forever, as it was graced with one of the largest, most expansive, highest-grossing, and most beloved cinematic franchises/universes of all time. The MCU is, to this day—a whopping 18 years later—always looked forward to, even in its less than ideal eras. A handful of its movies are among the highest-grossing of all time, and the impact this world has had on pop-culture is profound.
The likes of Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and dozens more have become some of the most popular cinematic characters of all time. It’s pretty dang hard to argue with the facts in the box office numbers and the critical reception of almost every movie.
1
Star Wars (1977–)
Much like how The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest fantasy stories ever told, the Star Wars franchise is one of the greatest science fiction stories ever told. This series has completely set the standard and defined how sci-fi stories are told 49 years post-original film release. Star Wars is exceptionally long in tenure and provided many films and television series over the decades.
Star Wars‘ impact on not only film, but sci-fi storytelling as a whole, is unlike anything seen in modern cinema. The legends of the Skywalkers, Mandalorians, its many empires, and more are unforgettable and continue to be looked forward to, even after the Skywalker Saga has ended (the saga that started the series in the first place). There’s just no replacing Star Wars.
- Created by
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George Lucas
- First TV Show
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Star Wars The Clone Wars