'Star Wars', 'Harry Potter', and the Marvel Universe: Four Reasons They Are the Best Movie Franchises

These are all amazing movie franchises. And if you look strictly at the numbers, the Marvel movies beat everyone worldwide with a gross intake of almost $17.5 billion. Star Wars is second, coming in at $9.3 billion. And Harry Potter is third at $8.5 billion. If we chose the best franchise by the overall gross intake, Marvel is definitely #1. But is that really the bottom line in determining which is best?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has more movies in their franchise—26, compared to Star Wars with 13 and Harry Potter with 12. So that’s actually only an average of about $486 million per Marvel movie compared to $715 million per Star Wars movie and $708 million per Harry Potter movie. Is the average amount per movie a better determinant? If so, Star Wars wins.

What about the longevity factor? The Star Wars movie franchise has been around since 1977, the Harry Potter movie franchise since 2001, and the Marvel movie franchise since 2008. Will Marvel be just as popular in 30+ years as Star Wars is now? Is longevity what makes a movie franchise great? For now, Star Wars beats out both Harry Potter and Marvel in that department (unless you throw in prior Marvel-based movies into the mix—the first Captain America movie came out in 1944).

So is the gross intake most important when determining which movie franchises are best? Or is it the average gross per movie? Or is the true test, time? Everyone has their own opinion. Does it even matter who is best? Maybe it’s more important to understand what these three movie franchises have in common—what impels us to continue to binge watch the earlier films, and what makes us clamor to see the newest releases.

1. They have created incredible shared universes.

It’s not surprising that the number one commonality among these three blockbuster franchises is the creation of a shared universe. Fans love shared fictional universes as backdrops to compelling storylines; fans love to see the lives of their favorite characters overlap. Marvel is the best of the three in maneuvering fans through their universe. Each of their movies has a strong plot that can stand alone, yet also pieces together to fit into an even bigger storyline. The Star Wars franchise has done an amazing job of sandwiching new “episodes” in between the larger storyline to keep fans engaged in its universe. And the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” is continuing to give fans extended enjoyment on the big screen through new Fantastic Beasts films to keep the magic alive.

2. They have developed characters we deeply care about.

Compelling characters are what keep us invested in the franchise. Would we keep coming back for more Harry Potter movies if Voldemort had beaten Harry in the first film? What if Darth Vader had killed Luke? Or Thor had met his demise? These heroes draw us in with their courage and strength to do what others can’t. Marvel, with countless superheroes to pull into their franchise, gives fans characters with extraordinary courage and extraordinary strength; Star Wars, with its otherworldly battles, gives us humble characters, who find the courage and power from within to make a difference; and Harry Potter, with it’s magic, gives us characters who grow into their courage and become powerful stewards of the magic all around them.

We can’t forget the bad guys, though. Villains we love to hate, make us love these virtuous characters even more. Without Voldemort, Harry would never have achieved his potential; without Darth Vader, Luke would never have needed the Force; without Loki, Thor would never have become a vital force for good on Earth. These dichotomies keep the characters and their storylines compelling.

3. They have intense conflict between good and evil.

None of these movie franchises would be gripping enough to survive without a strong, underlying conflict resonating within each individual film. In fact, even though there is a larger, all-encompassing conflict within the respective universes, individual movies in each franchise can stand alone, with minor resolutions to the larger conflict taking place. And what keeps fans engaged and on the edge of their seats waiting for the next installment, is how each film ends with a teaser of things to come—more conflict, and hopefully, more resolutions.

And it’s the type of conflict, the ongoing battle between good and evil, that’s paramount to the success of theses franchises. Fans want to see the good guys triumph and evil defeated; and it’s even better if the characters we have grown to hate, are redeemed. When Darth Vader chose good over evil, everyone cheered; when we discovered Snape wasn’t what we thought him to be, we cried; when Loki saved Thor, we gasped. Good overcoming evil touches us to the very core of our hearts.

4. They keep fans interested through extensive merchandising.

We can’t overlook the power of great merchandising in the success of a franchise. All of these franchises keep the hype alive through toys, video games, apparel, and even partnerships with amusement parks.

Toys. Star Wars toys have been filling toy boxes since the 1970s. Children (and adults!) have wanted their very own “wands” since the Harry Potter franchise began to sell them, and Marvel superhero legos have given rise to animated movies using them as characters. Old and young alike love these movie-based toys, and allow hours of extended play within the fictional universes.

Video games. Chances are, if you love video games, you’ve played one that ties into one of these movie franchises—there are a couple hundred of them, starting back in the early 1980s.

Apparel. Captain America shields, and the Spider-man spider and web are on children, teen, and adult t-shirts everywhere you turn (even baby onesies sport them). Star Wars and Harry Potter have their share of clothing items as well.

Amusement parks. How could someone ever forget Harry Potter when you can visit his “World,” or forget Star Wars when they have Star Tours, or forget Guardian of the Galaxy when they can try out the new Disney ride and the-soon-to-be immersive Marvel land.

Smart marketing tie-ins keep these franchises on top.

We may never agree on which of these top three movie franchises is actually the best, but we love the fact that we can continue to enjoy the wonders of these worlds in other types of arenas. And we can also agree that these movie franchises are all doing something right, by creating shared universes where fans can escape the realities of their own lives, and cheer for their favorite courageous and powerful characters as they fight for good and triumph over evil.