The 23 most successful movie franchises of all time, based on the billions of dollars they have made at the box office

Riding the record-setting success of "Black Panther" into the massive, upcoming release of "Avengers: Infinity War," the Marvel Cinematic Universe's catalog of films gives it a commanding lead among the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time.

To figure out which other film series have made their mark, we turned to Box Office Mojo to rank the most successful film franchises in history by their worldwide box office totals.

From the "Star Wars" films to the "Mission: Impossible" series, many of these franchises have had staying power over the course of decades.
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And for many of them, the box office is only the start, with things like merchandising adding even more into the coffers of their respective companies.

Here are the 23 most successful movies franchise of all time at the global box office:

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23. "Indiana Jones" — $1.947 billion

23. "Indiana Jones" — $1.947 billion

Box office total: $1.947 billion

Number of movies: 4

Highest-grossing movie: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" ($786.6 million)

22. "Toy Story" — $1.970 billion

22. "Toy Story" — $1.970 billion

Box office total: $1.970 billion

Number of movies: 3

Highest-grossing movie: "Toy Story 3" ($1.06 billion)

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21. "Planet of the Apes" — $2.077 billion

21. "Planet of the Apes" — $2.077 billion

Box office total: $2.077 billion

Number of movies: 5

Highest-grossing movie: "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" ($710.6 million)

20. "Mission: Impossible" — $2.779 billion

20. "Mission: Impossible" — $2.779 billion

Box office total: $2.779 billion

Number of movies: 5

Highest-grossing movie: "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" ($694.7 million)

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16. "The Hunger Games" — $2.968 billion

16. "The Hunger Games" — $2.968 billion

Box office total: $2.968 billion

Number of movies: 4

Highest-grossing movie: "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" ($865.0 million)

15. "Ice Age" — $3.216 billion

15. "Ice Age" — $3.216 billion

Box office total: $3.216 billion

Number of movies: 5

Highest-grossing movie: "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" ($886.7 million)

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17. "Twilight" — $3.343 billion

17. "Twilight" — $3.343 billion

Box office total: $3.343 billion

Number of movies: 5

Highest-grossing movie: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" ($829.7 million)

17. "Shrek" — $3.510 billion

17. "Shrek" — $3.510 billion

Box office total: $3.510 billion

Number of movies: 5

Highest-grossing movie: "Shrek 2" ($919.8 million)

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16. "Jurassic Park" — $3.642 billion

16. "Jurassic Park" — $3.642 billion

Box office total: $3.642 billion

Number of movies: 4

Highest-grossing movie: "Jurassic World" ($1.671 billion)

14. "Despicable Me" — $3.708 billion

14. "Despicable Me" — $3.708 billion

Box office total: $3.708 billion

Number of movies: 4

Highest-grossing movie: "Minions" ($1.159 billion)

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13. "DC Extended Universe" — 3.768 billion

13. "DC Extended Universe" — 3.768 billion

Box office total: $3.768 billion

Number of movies: 5

Highest-grossing movie: "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" ($873.6 million)

12. "Transformers" — $4.385 billion

12. "Transformers" — $4.385 billion

Box office total: $4.385 billion

Number of movies: 6

Highest-grossing movie: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" ($1.123 billion)

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11. "Pirates of Caribbean" — $4.524 billion

11. "Pirates of Caribbean" — $4.524 billion

Box office total: $4.524 billion

Number of movies: 5

Highest-grossing movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($1.066 billion)

10. "Spider-Man" — $4.843 billion

10. "Spider-Man" — $4.843 billion

Box office total: $4.843 billion

Number of movies: 6

Highest-grossing movie: "Spider-Man 3" ($890.9 million)

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9. "Batman" — $4.903 billion

9. "Batman" — $4.903 billion

Box office total: $4.903 billion

Number of movies: 10

Highest-grossing movie: "The Dark Knight Rises" ($1.084 billion)

8. "X-Men" — $4.996 billion

8. "X-Men" — $4.996 billion

Box office total: $4.996 billion

Number of movies: 10

Highest-grossing movie: "Deadpool" ($783.1 million)

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7. "James Bond" — $5.019 billion

7. "James Bond" — $5.019 billion

Box office total: $5.019 billion

Number of movies: 10 (with worldwide releases)

Highest-grossing movie: "Skyfall" ($1.108 billion)

6. "The Fast and the Furious" —$5.132 billion

6. "The Fast and the Furious" —$5.132 billion

Box office total: $5.132 billion

Number of movies: 8

Highest-grossing movie: "Furious 7" ($1.516 billion)

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5. "Disney Live-Action Reimaginings" — $5.814 billion

5. "Disney Live-Action Reimaginings" — $5.814 billion

Box office total: $5.814 billion

Number of movies: 9

Highest-grossing movie: "Beauty and the Beast" ($1.263 billion)

4. "Middle Earth" — $5.847 billion

4. "Middle Earth" — $5.847 billion

Box office total: $5.847 billion

Number of movies: 6

Highest-grossing movie: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($1.119 billion)

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3. "JK Rowling’s Wizarding World" — $8.537 billion

3. "JK Rowling’s Wizarding World" — $8.537 billion

Box office total: $8.537 billion

Number of movies: 9

Highest-grossing movie: ""Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2" ($1.119 billion)

2. "Star Wars" — $9.097 billion

2. "Star Wars" — $9.097 billion

Box office total: $9.097 billion

Number of movies: 8

Highest-grossing movie: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ($2.068 billion)

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1. "Marvel Cinematic Universe" — $14.694 billion

1. "Marvel Cinematic Universe" — $14.694 billion

Box office total: $14.694 billion

Number of movies: 18

Highest-grossing movie: "The Avengers" ($1.518 billion)

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