The 10 most successful movie franchises of all time, ranked by box-office earnings

• Franchises have been the backbone of Hollywood for decades.
• The highest-grossing franchise in movie history is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• It has made more than $32 billion at the box office since 2008.

It's hard to imagine what the movies would look like without sequels, spin-offs, and connected universes taking over the box office every weekend.

The top 10 movie franchises at the global box office have each grossed at least $5 billion. They range from '60s and '70s series like James Bond to more contemporary releases, such as "The Fast and the Furious" and the DCEU.

While the most recent "Star Wars" offering, "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu," didn't exactly break box-office records, it still reigns as the No. 2 highest-grossing franchise ever.

Business Insider used data from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers to identify the highest-grossing film franchises of all time.

Here's how each of your favorite movie universes compares, including their number of films and their top-performing release.

10. "The Lord of the Rings"

Box office total: $5.89 billion

Number of movies: 7

Highest-grossing movie: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) — $1.13 billion

9. "X-Men"

Box office total: $6.08 billion

Number of movies: 13

Highest-grossing movie: "Deadpool 2" (2018) — $786 million

8. "Jurassic Park"

Box office total: $6.89 billion

Number of movies: 7

Highest-grossing movie: "Jurassic World" (2015) — $1.67 billion

7. DC Extended Universe

Box office total: $7.2 billion

Number of movies: 16

Highest-grossing movie: "Aquaman" (2018) — $1.15 billion

6. "The Fast and the Furious"

Box office total: $7.32 billion

Number of movies: 11

Highest-grossing movie: "Furious 7" (2015) — $1.52 billion

5. "James Bond"

Box office total: $7.88 billion

Number of movies: 27

Highest-grossing movie: "Skyfall" (2012) — $1.11 billion

4. "Spider-Man"

Box office total: $9 billion

Number of movies: 10

Highest-grossing movie: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021) —$1.92 billion

3. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Box office total: $9.56 billion

Number of movies: 12

Highest-grossing movie: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011) — $1.3 billion

2. "Star Wars"

Box office total: $10.51 billion

Number of movies: 13

Highest-grossing movie: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015) — $2.05 billion

1. The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Box office total: $32.48 billion

Number of movies: 37

Highest-grossing movie: "Avengers: Endgame" (2019) — $2.7 billion

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