This is a list of media franchises that have grossed $2 billion and more.
Franchise | Year of inception | Total revenue (est. US$ ) | Revenue breakdown (est.US$) | Original medium | Creator(s) | Owner(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$50 billion+ | ||||||
Pokémon | 1996 | $98.9 billion [a] |
| Video game | Satoshi Tajiri | The Pokémon Company (Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak) (copyright; trademark in Japan) Nintendo (trademark globally) |
Mickey Mouse & Friends | 1928 | $61.2 billion |
| Animated cartoon | Walt Disney Ub Iwerks | The Walt Disney Company |
$20–50 billion | ||||||
Winnie the Pooh | 1924 | $48.5 billion | Book [55] | A. A. Milne E. H. Shepard | The Walt Disney Company | |
Star Wars | 1977 | $46.7 billion [k] |
| Film | George Lucas | Lucasfilm (The Walt Disney Company) |
Disney Princess | 2000 [o] | $45.4 billion | Animated films | Andy Mooney | The Walt Disney Company | |
Anpanman | 1973 | $38.4 billion | Picture book | Takashi Yanase | Froebel-kan (Toppan Printing Co.) | |
Wizarding World ( Harry Potter ) | 1997 | $34.7 billion |
| Novel | J. K. Rowling | J. K. Rowling (books) Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery)(films) |
Barbie | 1987 [x] | $33.9 billion |
| Television special | Ruth Handler | Mattel |
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) | 2008 | $33.8 billion |
| Film | Marvel Studios Stan Lee Jack Kirby | Walt Disney Studios (The Walt Disney Company) Sony Pictures (Spider-Man films) |
Call of Duty | 2003 | $31 billion |
| Video game | Steve Fukuda Zied Rieke | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
Batman | 1939 | $29.9 billion |
| Comic book | Bob Kane Bill Finger | DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Hello Kitty | 1974 | $29.3 billion | Cartoon character [144] | Yuko Shimizu Shintaro Tsuji | Sanrio | |
Spider-Man | 1962 | $26.8 billion |
| Comic book | Stan Lee Steve Ditko | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) Sony Pictures (films) |
Transformers | 1984 | $25 billion [ak] |
| Animated series | Shōji Kawamori Kazutaka Miyatake | Takara Tomy Hasbro |
Dungeon Fighter Online (DFO) | 2005 | $22 billion |
| Video game | Neople | Nexon Tencent |
Cars | 2006 | $21.5 billion | Animated film | Pixar John Lasseter | Pixar (The Walt Disney Company) | |
Candy Crush | 2012 | $20 billion |
| Video game | King | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
$10–19 billion | ||||||
Looney Tunes | 1930 | $17.4 billion |
| Animated cartoon | Hugh Harman Rudolf Ising | Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1984 | $17.4 billion |
| Comic book | Kevin Eastman Peter Laird | Nickelodeon (Paramount Global) |
Dora the Explorer | 2000 | $15.8 billion |
| Animated series | Chris Gifford Valerie Walsh Eric Weiner | Nickelodeon (Paramount Global) |
Pac-Man | 1980 | $15.4 billion |
| Video game | Toru Iwatani Namco | Bandai Namco Entertainment (Bandai Namco Holdings) |
The Lion King | 1994 | $15.2 billion |
| Animated film | Roger Allers Rob Minkoff | The Walt Disney Company |
Toy Story | 1995 | $14.8 billion | Animated film | Pixar John Lasseter | The Walt Disney Company | |
Peanuts | 1950 | $14.4 billion |
| Comic strip | Charles M. Schulz | Sony Music Entertainment Japan (Sony) Peanuts Worldwide LLC (WildBrain) |
PAW Patrol | 2013 | $14.4 billion | Animated series | Keith Chapman | Spin Master | |
Avengers | 1963 | $14.3 billion |
| Comic book | Stan Lee Jack Kirby | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Frozen | 2013 | $13.9 billion |
| Animated film | Chris Buck Jennifer Lee Hans Christian Andersen | The Walt Disney Company |
Space Invaders | 1978 | $13.9 billion | Video game | Tomohiro Nishikado | Taito (Square Enix) | |
SpongeBob SquarePants | 1999 | $13.7 billion |
| Animated series | Stephen Hillenburg | Nickelodeon (Paramount Global) |
Warcraft | 1994 | $12.4 billion |
| Video game | Allen Adham Frank Pearce Michael Morhaime | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
Despicable Me (Minions) | 2010 | $12.3 billion | Animated film | Sergio Pablos | Illumination Universal Pictures (Comcast) | |
Star Trek | 1966 | $11.2 billion [bf] | Television series | Gene Roddenberry | Paramount Global | |
Street Fighter | 1987 | $10.7 billion |
| Video game | Takashi Nishiyama Hiroshi Matsumoto | Capcom |
Grand Theft Auto (GTA) | 1997 | $10 billion |
| Video game | DMA Design David Jones Mike Dailly | Rockstar Games (Take-Two Interactive) |
Rilakkuma | 2003 | $10 billion |
| Manga | Aki Kondo | San-X |
Monster Strike | 2013 | $10 billion |
| Video game | Yoshiki Okamoto | Mixi |
$5–9 billion | ||||||
Jurassic Park | 1990 | $9.79 billion | Novel | Michael Crichton | Alfred A. Knopf (novel) Universal Pictures (Comcast) Amblin (Reliance / Hasbro / Alibaba) (film) | |
James Bond | 1953 | $9.75 billion | Novel | Ian Fleming | Danjaq Ian Fleming Publications (books) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Amazon MGM Studios)(films) | |
Dragon Ball | 1984 | $9.54 billion | Manga | Akira Toriyama | Akira Toriyama (Bird Studio) Shueisha (Hitotsubashi Group) (manga) Toei Animation (anime) Fuji TV (anime) Bandai Namco | |
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | 2016 | $9.32 billion | Manga | Koyoharu Gotōge | Koyoharu Gotōge and Shueisha (Hitotsubashi Group) (manga) ufotable (anime) Aniplex (anime) | |
Angry Birds | 2009 | $9.19 billion |
| Video game | Jaakko Iisalo | Rovio Entertainment (Sega Sammy Holdings) |
Thomas & Friends | 1945 | $9.12 billion |
| Book | Wilbert Awdry Christopher Awdry | Egmont Group Mattel |
Fortnite | 2017 | $9 billion |
| Video game | Epic Games | Epic Games Tencent |
Mario | 1981 | $8.75 billion | Video game | Shigeru Miyamoto Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | |
Super Sentai / Power Rangers | 1975 (Super Sentai) 1993 (Power Rangers) | $8.67 billion | Television series | Shotaro Ishinomori Haim Saban Shuki Levy | Toei Company (Super Sentai; Power Rangers co-ownership, trademark in Asia) Bandai Namco Holdings (Super Sentai merchandise) Hasbro (Power Rangers co-ownership, international trademark) | |
Middle-earth ( The Lord of the Rings ) | 1937 | $8.46 billion | Novel | J. R. R. Tolkien | Tolkien Estate (books) Middle-earth Enterprises (Embracer Freemode) (ownership of IP outside of books) New Line Cinema (Warner Bros. Discovery) (films, under sublicense of Middle-earth Enterprises) | |
X-Men | 1963 | $8.35 billion |
| Comic book | Stan Lee Jack Kirby | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
DC Extended Universe (DCEU) | 2013 | $8.00 billion | Film | DC Entertainment | DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) | |
Fast & Furious | 2001 | $7.98 billion | Film | Gary Scott Thompson | Universal Pictures (Comcast) | |
Pirates of the Caribbean | 2003 [bz] | $7.9 billion |
| Film | Walt Disney Walt Disney Imagineering Marc Davis Gore Verbinski Jerry Bruckheimer | The Walt Disney Company |
Ben 10 | 2005 | $7.85 billion |
| Animated series | Man of Action Studios Cartoon Network Studios | Cartoon Network (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Sesame Street ( The Muppets ) | 1955 | $7.72 billion | Television series | Jim Henson Joan Ganz Cooney Lloyd Morrisett | The Muppets Studio (The Walt Disney Company) Sesame Workshop | |
Ultra Series ( Ultraman ) | 1966 | $7.4 billion | Television series | Eiji Tsuburaya | Tsuburaya Productions (Bandai Namco Holdings) | |
Madden NFL | 1998 | $7 billion |
| Video game | Electronic Arts | Electronic Arts National Football League (NFL) |
Fate (Fate/stay night) | 2004 | $7 billion |
| Video game | Type-Moon | Type-Moon (video game) Aniplex (Sony Music Japan)(anime & mobile game) |
Superman | 1938 | $6.9 billion |
| Comic book | Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster | DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Halo | 2001 | $6.8 billion |
| Video game | Bungie 343 Industries | Microsoft Gaming |
Ice Age | 2002 | $6.42 billion [ci] | Animated film | Michael J. Wilson Blue Sky Studios | 20th Century Studios (The Walt Disney Company) | |
Shrek | 1990 | $6.3 billion | Picture book | William Steig DreamWorks Animation | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (book) Universal Pictures (Comcast) (films) | |
The Phantom of the Opera | 1986 | $6.15 billion |
| Musical theatre | Andrew Lloyd Webber | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
My Little Pony | 1984 | $5.98 billion | Animated cartoon | Lauren Faust Bonnie Zacherle | Hasbro | |
Avatar | 2009 | $5.78 billion | Film | James Cameron | 20th Century Studios (The Walt Disney Company) | |
Sonic the Hedgehog | 1991 | $5.76 billion |
| Video game | Sonic Team Hirokazu Yasuhara Yuji Naka Naoto Ohshima | Sega (Sega Sammy Holdings) |
Scooby-Doo | 1969 | $5.43 billion |
| Animated series | Joe Ruby Ken Spears | Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Yu-Gi-Oh! | 1996 | $5.42 billion |
| Manga | Kazuki Takahashi | Kazuki Takahashi Shueisha (Hitotsubashi Group) (manga) Konami (games and cards) |
Mamma Mia | 1975 | $5.16 billion |
| Song | ABBA | Polar / Epic (Sony) (song) Universal Pictures (Comcast) (films) |
Mortal Kombat | 1992 | $5.06 billion [cu] |
| Video game | Midway Games Chicago Ed Boon John Tobias | Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Gundam | 1979 | $5 billion |
| Anime series | Yoshiyuki Tomino | Bandai Namco Filmworks, directly and through Sotsu (Bandai Namco Holdings) |
Genshin Impact | 2020 | $5 billion |
| Video game | miHoYo Cai Haoyu | miHoYo |
The Sims | 2000 | $5 billion |
| Video game | Will Wright | Electronic Arts |
Bob the Builder | 1998 | $5 billion |
| Animated series | Keith Chapman | Mattel |
$2–4 billion | ||||||
The Simpsons | 1987 | $4.9 billion |
| Animated series | Matt Groening | 20th Century Studios (The Walt Disney Company) |
Assassin's Creed | 2007 | $4.7 billion [cz] | Video game | Patrice Désilets Jade Raymond Corey May | Ubisoft | |
Beyblade | 1999 | $4.6 billion | Manga | Takao Aoki | Takao Aoki Shogakukan (Hitotsubashi Group) | |
The Big Bang Theory | 2007 | $4.57 billion | Television series | Chuck Lorre Bill Prady | Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) | |
Seinfeld | 1989 | $4.56 billion |
| Television series | Larry David Jerry Seinfeld | Sony Pictures Television (Sony) |
Mission: Impossible | 1966 | $4.34 billion [de] |
| Television series | Bruce Geller | Paramount Pictures (Paramount Global) |
Twilight | 2005 | $4.31 billion |
| Novel | Stephenie Meyer | Little, Brown and Company Summit Entertainment |
Gran Turismo | 1997 | $4.1 billion |
| Video game | Kazunori Yamauchi Polyphony Digital | Sony Interactive Entertainment (Sony) |
Strawberry Shortcake | 1979 | $4 billion | Greeting card | American Greetings | WildBrain | |
The Smurfs | 1958 | $4 billion [dg] | Comic | Peyo | Studio Peyo | |
Cabbage Patch Kids | 1982 [di] | $4 billion |
| television special | Coleco | Wicked Cool Toys (Berkshire Hathaway) |
G.I. Joe | 1967 | $3.95 billion |
| Comic | Stan Weston | Hasbro |
The Hunger Games | 2008 | $3.83 billion |
| Novel | Suzanne Collins | Scholastic Corporation (books) Lionsgate (films) |
Blue's Clues | 1996 | $3.6 billion |
| Television series | Traci Paige Johnson Todd Kessler Angela C. Santomero | Nickelodeon (Paramount Global) |
Beauty and the Beast | 1991 | $3.52 billion | Animated film | Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve | The Walt Disney Company | |
Skylanders | 2011 | $3.5 billion [416] |
| Video game | Toys for Bob | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
Titanic | 1997 | $3.45 billion | Film | James Cameron | Paramount Pictures (North America) 20th Century Studios (international) (The Walt Disney Company) | |
Titanfall | 2014 | $3.4 billion |
| Video Game | Respawn Entertainment | Electronic Arts |
Minecraft | 2009 | $3.3 billion |
| Video game | Markus Persson | Mojang Studios (Xbox Game Studios) |
Bratz | 2001 | $3.23 billion | Doll | Carter Bryant | MGA Entertainment | |
Care Bears | 1981 | $3.05 billion | Greeting card | American Greetings | American Greetings | |
Hamtaro | 1997 | $3.02 billion | Manga | Ritsuko Kawai | Shogakukan (Hitotsubashi Group) | |
Terminator | 1984 | $3 billion [du] | Film | James Cameron Gale Anne Hurd | Skydance Media | |
Astro Boy | 1952 | $3 billion |
| Manga | Osamu Tezuka | Tezuka Productions |
Thor | 1962 | $2.98 billion | Comic book | Stan Lee Larry Lieber Jack Kirby | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) | |
Iron Man | 1963 | $2.89 billion |
| Comic book | Stan Lee Jack Kirby Larry Lieber Don Heck | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Guardians of the Galaxy | 1969 | $2.71 billion | Comic book | Marvel Comics | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) | |
The Elder Scrolls | 1994 | $2.65 billion |
| Video game | Bethesda Softworks | ZeniMax Media (Microsoft Gaming) |
Godzilla (Gojira) | 1954 | $2.63 billion | Film | Ishirō Honda | Toho | |
Inside Out | 2015 | $2.61 billion | Film | Pete Docter | Pixar (The Walt Disney Company | |
Indiana Jones | 1981 | $2.6 billion | Film | George Lucas Steven Spielberg | Lucasfilm (The Walt Disney Company) | |
Madagascar | 2005 | $2.59 billion | Animated film | Tom McGrath Eric Darnell | DreamWorks Animation (Comcast) | |
Captain America | 1941 | $2.55 billion |
| Comic book | Joe Simon Jack Kirby | Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company) |
Kung Fu Panda | 2008 | $2.54 billion | Animated film | Ethan Reiff Cyrus Voris | Universal Pictures (Comcast) | |
Winx Club | 2004 | $2.53 billion | Animated series | Iginio Straffi | Rainbow S.p.A. Paramount Global (copyright for seasons 5–7) | |
The Powerpuff Girls | 1998 | $2.52 billion |
| Animated series | Craig McCracken | Cartoon Network (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Friends | 1994 | $2.5 billion | Television series | David Crane Marta Kauffman | Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) | |
Sailor Moon | 1991 | $2.5 billion |
| Manga | Naoko Takeuchi | Naoko Takeuchi Kodansha (manga) Toei Animation (anime) |
The Incredibles | 2004 | $2.37 billion | Animated film | Pixar | The Walt Disney Company | |
Kumamon | 2010 | $2.36 billion |
| Cartoon | Kumamoto Prefecture | Kumamoto Prefecture |
Aladdin | 1992 | $2.33 billion |
| Animated film | Walt Disney Animation Hanna Diyab | The Walt Disney Company |
Black Panther | 1966 | $2.31 billion | Comic book | Stan Lee Jack Kirby | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) | |
Planet of the Apes | 1963 | $2.27 billion | Novel | Pierre Boulle | Éditions Julliard (book) 20th Century Studios (Disney) (films) | |
Jumanji | 1981 | $2.24 billion | Picture book | Chris Van Allsburg | Sony | |
The Little Mermaid | 1989 | $2.21 billion [ed] | Animated film | Ron Clements John Musker | The Walt Disney Company | |
The Conjuring Universe | 2013 | $2.18 billion | Film | James Wan | Warner Brothers | |
Ghostbusters | 1984 | $2.18 billion | Film | Dan Aykroyd Harold Ramis | Sony | |
Finding Nemo | 2003 | $2.15 billion | Animated film | Andrew Stanton | The Walt Disney Company | |
Rocky | 1976 | $2.11 billion | Film | Sylvester Stallone | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ( Amazon ) | |
MonsterVerse | 2014 | $2.09 billion | Film | Thomas Tull Ishirō Honda ( Godzilla ) Edgar Wallace ( King Kong ) Merian C. Cooper (King Kong) | Warner Brothers Legendary Entertainment Toho (Godzilla) | |
Yo-kai Watch | 2013 | $2.09 billion |
| Video game | Level-5 | Level-5 |
The Matrix | 1999 | $2.06 billion | Film | The Wachowskis | Warner Bros | |
The Chronicles of Narnia | 2005 | $2.06 billion | Film | C. S. Lewis Andrew Adamson | Netflix | |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 1982 | $2.04 billion | Film | Steven Spielberg | Universal Pictures (Comcast) | |
Bourne | 1980 | $2.03 billion |
| Novel | Robert Ludlum | Eric Van Lustbader (books) Universal Pictures (Comcast) (films) |
Men in Black | 1990 | $2.02 billion |
| Comic book | Lowell Cunningham | Marvel Comics (Disney) (comics) Sony (films) |
Resident Evil (Biohazard) | 1996 | $2 billion |
| Video game | Shinji Mikami Tokuro Fujiwara | Capcom |
Guitar Hero | 2005 | $2 billion |
| Video game | Harmonix | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
Lego | 1995 | $2 billion | Video game | Lego Interactive (The Lego Group) | TT Games (Warner Bros. Discovery) | |
NBA Jam | 1993 | $2 billion |
| Video game | Midway Games | Electronic Arts National Basketball Association (NBA) |
Neon Genesis Evangelion | 1994 | $2 billion [eg] | Anime | Hideaki Anno | Khara |
Saw is an American horror media franchise created by Australian filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, which began with the eponymous 2004 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded from films into other media, including a television series, video games, comic books, music, theme park attractions, and merchandising including toys, masks, and clothing. Saw is the fifth highest-grossing horror film franchise.
Child's Play is an American slasher media franchise created by Don Mancini. The films mainly focus on Chucky, a notorious serial killer who frequently escapes death by performing a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a "Good Guy" doll. The original film, Child's Play, was released on November 9, 1988. The film has spawned six sequels, a television series, a remake, comic books, a video game, and tie-in merchandise. The first, second, and fourth films were box office successes with all of the films earning over $182 million worldwide. Including revenues from sales of videos, DVDs, VOD and merchandise, the franchise has generated over $250 million. It also won a Saturn Award for Best Horror Franchise.
Toy Story is an American media franchise created by Pixar Animation Studios and owned by The Walt Disney Company. It centers on toys that, unknown to humans, are secretly living, sentient creatures. It began in 1995 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, which focuses on a diverse group of toys featuring a classic cowboy doll named Sheriff Woody and a modern spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear.
Cars is an American animated film series and media franchise set in a world populated by anthropomorphic vehicles created by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft and Jorgen Klubien. The franchise began with the 2006 film, Cars, produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was followed by the sequels Cars 2 (2011) and Cars 3 (2017). The now-defunct Disneytoon Studios produced the two spin-off films Planes (2013) and Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014).
Minions is a 2015 American animated comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, and distributed by Universal. The film is a prequel to Despicable Me (2010) and the third installment overall in the Despicable Me franchise. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and written by Brian Lynch, Minions stars the voices of Coffin as the titular beings, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, and Geoffrey Rush as the narrator. In the film, the Minions search for their replaceable evil master after, one-by-one, accidentally killing all their past leaders throughout history.
Angel Studios, Inc. is an American independent media company and film distribution studio based in Provo, Utah. It operates the over-the-top video on-demand service Angel Studios. The streaming service is available worldwide and can be accessed via web browsers or via application software installed on smartphones, tablet computers, and smart TVs.
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