Some major movie franchises will seemingly never end because they are so massively successful. A select few iconic film franchises have expanded beyond the screen and have ingrained themselves into the fabric of modern entertainment culture. In some cases, the most popular movie franchises have grown to offer their own merchandise and amusement park experiences that transcend the initial visions of their original installments.

The largest movie franchises have produced multiple films that still maintain cultural relevancy and plan to expand with more sequels in the near future. They have amassed some of the highest-grossing box office numbers of all time and have generated millions of devoted fans. Here are the 10 biggest movie franchises that are likely to survive well into the future as long as blockbuster movies are still being made.

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10 Pirates of the Caribbean

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has amassed more than $4.5 billion worldwide between five movies. It's been six years since its latest installment Dead Men Tell No Tales, but recent Pirates of the Caribbean 6 updates indicate great developments for the franchise's future. The celebrated franchise gained instant popularity with its original film The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. Pirates of the Caribbean originally emerged as an immersive attraction at Disneyland California before becoming a major franchise. The amusement park ride was the last Walt Disney himself took part in deg, indicating that the franchise holds a deep sentimental value.

9 Fast & Furious

The Fast & Furious franchise has accumulated over $7.2 billion at the global box office over eleven installments. While the Fast & Furious franchise faces problems after Fast X's somewhat disappointing box office performance, the adrenaline-fueled movies have become a cultural phenomenon and produced two of the highest-grossing blockbusters in film history. Vin Diesel and his ing crew of familiar and hilarious characters continue to return to keep the franchise highly successful. Over the course of the next decade, it is plausible that the Diesel-led Fast & Furious era will end and be rebooted for future generations to come.

8 Transformers

The Transformers franchise has made over $5 billion worldwide across eight movies. The franchise kicked off with the success of the 2007 original installment starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Transformers originally began as a popular toy line developed by Hasbro. There was also an animated cartoon series that spawned its own film Transformers: The Movie in 1986 which featured the voice of Orson Welles. The popular Michael Bay movies have generated a mass appeal that has extended into Universal's theme parks. The movie franchise has achieved permanence despite constantly receiving subpar critical reviews.

7 Jurassic Park

The Jurassic Park franchise, including its Jurassic World reboot trilogy, has generated over $6 billion at the global box office. The original film sparked a cultural phenomenon when it premiered in 1993 and also inspired a theme park ride at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. The Chris Pratt-led franchise debuted in 2015 with Jurassic World and remains the eighth highest-grossing film of all time. Three other Jurassic blockbusters exist in the top 52 most successful movies in box office history, cementing its elite status as a franchise that will likely never end.

6 DC Extended Universe

The DC Extended Universe, which began with 2013's Man of Steel, has accumulated over $6 billion globally across 12 movies. While the comic book-inspired franchise has had its ups and downs over the past decades, DC's intellectual property consisting of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash is literally too big to fail. Despite the questionable quality of some of DC's biggest films, fans of these timeless characters will likely continue to flock to theaters to see them in action for generations to come.

5 Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Iron Man in 2008, has generated $29.5 billion worldwide over 32 installments. The unprecedented success of Marvel's superhero movies has defined an entire era of cinematic history that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Although there is the actual risk of audience fatigue from the superhero genre and its familiar household stars, Marvel's iconic characters will never go out of style. There are currently eleven Marvel films set to release between 2023 and 2026.

4 James Bond

The James Bond franchise, beginning with Dr. No in 1963, has amassed nearly $8 billion globally across 27 movies. The spy action franchise has spanned six decades of interchanging actors who play the iconic Agent 47. Now that the Daniel Craig Bond era has ended with 2022's No Time to Die, the next actor who plays Bond could extend the franchise another two decades depending on his age. James Bond movies have only increased in popularity and critical acclaim since 2006's Casino Royale. The franchise is positioned nicely to continue its success across future generations if it can cast another exceptional character to play the coveted role.

3 Avatar

Avatar has generated over $5.2 billion at the global box office thanks to just two films. In a truly remarkable feat, the two Avatar movies are the first and third highest-grossing films ever made. It's no surprise that the impact of Avatar's success will be felt throughout the future of the film and entertainment industries for decades to come. James Cameron intends to release three additional Avatar sequels between 2024 and 2028. The potential for the expanded universe of Avatar remains limitless. The only question will be who will take the reins of the franchise from Cameron in the distant future.

2 Star Wars

The Star Wars franchise has amassed more than $10.3 billion globally over 12 movies. This does not include the financial considerations of its numerous original television series. Star Wars is a staple of worldwide entertainment and is arguably the most recognized movie franchise ever made. Despite the mixed reviews of the recent Disney trilogy among other creative issues about the direction of the content, other installments of the Star Wars universe continue to draw large viewership. With a vast amount of base material to work with and an army of high-powered creatives seeking attachment to the franchise, Star Wars will always remain a titan of entertainment.

1 Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise, including the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, has generated over $9.5 billion worldwide across eleven movies. The magical universe has expanded across books, movies, video games, theme parks, and soon-to-be television series. The Harry Potter universe seems to be resting on a mountain of untapped creative potential. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, J.K. Rowling's follow-up play to her beloved series, has yet to be made into a movie. There is infinite potential for future books to extend the narrative to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's kids, as well as dozens of prequels and spin-off possibilities, making Harry Potter one of the major movie franchises that will seemingly never end.

Source: The Numbers