Guest Post: The 10 Highest-Grossing Box Office Film Franchises… Ever

This lovely post was brought to you courtesy of our friends at Vue Cinemas.

 Movie lovers of all ages have flocked to the cinema to watch film franchises for decades. Here’s a rundown of the 10 highest-grossing film franchises ever…

Harry Potter (Grossed: $7.7billion+)

The eight-film franchise ran from 2001 to 2011 and has transformed the lives of everyone involved, especially author J.K. Rowling and actor Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the bespectacled magician. The Harry Potter movies are fun, fast paced and at times frightening, ensuring fun for all the family.

James Bond (Grossed: $5.1billion+)

Everyone’s favourite spy has shaken and stirred film fans for half a century now and with Skyfall, the latest installment in Bond’s career, due out later this year, interest in the MI6 agent shows no sign of waning. Six actors have played Bond in total down the years on the big screen, each bringing something different to the role.

Star Wars (Grossed: $4.3billion+)

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...Star Wars was launched – and its popularity has snowballed ever since. The original three films revolutionised the sci-fi genre as George Lucas transported the audience into an intergalactic battle against good and evil.  

Pirates of the Caribbean (Grossed: $3.7billion+)

The public love swashbuckling captain Jack Sparrow. Four Pirates of the Caribbean films have so far been released and filming on number five is believed to start this summer. Disney are usually associated with animated films, but the POTC movies have seen them attract an older audience.

Shrek (Grossed: $3.6billion+)

Can you believe it has been 11 years since Shrek was released? The decade following has seen the Shrek franchise roll out five films in total, a musical, a host of console games and a couple of TV specials just for good measure.  

The Lord of the Rings (Grossed: $2.9billion+)

Peter Jackson’s outstanding directorial skills meant The Lord of the Rings enjoyed a smooth transition from epic books to epic movies. Clever marketing, amazing visuals and a stellar line-up combine brilliantly.

Transformers (Grossed: $2.6billion+)

Opinions may differ dramatically on the Transformers films, but what is not in any doubt is the fact that they have got bums on seats. There have been three Transformers movies to date, with the most recent release Transformers: Dark of the Moon proving the most popular of the lot at the box office. Number four is now on its way.

Batman (Grossed: $2.6billion+)

Expect the coffers for the Batman franchise to increase dramatically when The Dark Knight Rises comes out. Interest in the Caped Crusader has arguably never been higher as expectation levels rise ahead of the latest Christopher Nolan epic.  

Spider-Man (Grossed: $2.6billion+)

Another franchise that will receive a hefty financial boost in 2012 is the Spider-Man movies as the release of The Amazing Spider-Man draws ever closer. It’s all change for the lead role as Andrew Garfield, The Social Network star, makes his bow as the comic book superhero. 

Twilight (Grossed: $2.5billion+)

Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? No matter, Twilight has been a runaway success with teenage film fans so far, with movie number five due out later in the year – and even more planned releases are in the pipeline.  

Data source

This article was brought to you by Vue Cinemas.

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