10 Longest-Running Movie Franchises Of All Time

It’s rare for a movie to truly become a classic in an industry always searching for the next big hit. Many potential blockbusters quickly fade away, but a few become enduring legends. These iconic stories – whether about giant monsters, superheroes, or other unforgettable characters – have captured the hearts of audiences for decades. They’ve managed to stay popular through changing times, cultural shifts, and even multiple remakes, becoming fundamental parts of our shared culture.

What determines how long a movie franchise lasts? For this ranking, we’re measuring a franchise’s length of time starting with its very first movie released in theaters. This includes early animated films and older serials, as long as they were the first time the story appeared on the big screen.

For a franchise to be considered a lasting success – not just something people fondly remember from the past – it needs to still be running today. To qualify, it must have released a movie in theaters within the last ten years, or have another installment officially planned for the future.

It’s sometimes hard to say whether these franchises tell one long, continuous story or simply reimagine a beloved character for each new generation, but their success at the box office is clear. Maintaining popularity for this long is rare in Hollywood. Here’s a look at the ten movie franchises that have been running the longest, starting with the oldest.

King Kong Franchise — 93 Years Active

King Kong is one of the most iconic movie monsters, first appearing in 1933 when he famously climbed the Empire State Building. The enduring franchise combines adventure, horror, and sadness, built around the surprisingly emotional story of a giant ape—a creature who is both frightening and sympathetic. For over ninety years, Kong has remained popular through different eras of filmmaking, including silent films, stop-motion animation, remakes, and reboots, consistently captivating new audiences while staying true to the power of the original story.

The Kong franchise entered a new phase with the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island, which connected the giant ape to the MonsterVerse alongside Godzilla. This shared universe has been very successful, leading to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in 2024, and another sequel already planned for 2027. What began as a classic monster movie from the 1930s has evolved into a massive, worldwide cinematic universe, demonstrating that audiences still enjoy watching Kong cause destruction on the big screen after nearly a century.

Superman Franchise — 85 Years Active

Superman’s story on film is much older than most modern superhero franchises. It started with popular animated shorts in 1941, then moved to live-action serials, and ultimately set the standard for superhero blockbusters. The 1978 film directed by Richard Donner became the defining version for a whole generation. Later movies, like those by Bryan Singer and Zack Snyder, each tried to update the character for modern times. For decades, and across many different kinds of media, Superman has been one of the most culturally significant superheroes.

James Gunn’s Superman, coming in 2025, marks a fresh start for the DC universe. This film, starring David Corenswet as Superman and Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and Nathan Fillion, aims to recapture the character’s original spirit as a beacon of hope. After a long period of inconsistent stories and restarts, DC is making its most focused effort yet to create a strong, unified future for Superman and its related characters.

Batman Franchise — 84 Years Active

Batman first appeared on screen in 1943, but he truly became a movie icon with Tim Burton’s 1989 film, Batman. Since then, the series has been marked by constant reinvention – from the over-the-top style of Joel Schumacher’s films to Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed The Dark Knight trilogy. Unlike other superheroes, Batman has been radically re-imagined with each new film, with each creative team essentially starting over to build their own version of the character.

Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of Batman in the 2022 film directed by Matt Reeves was highly praised by critics, and a follow-up movie is planned for 2027. Batman’s influence extends beyond movies to include the incredibly popular Arkham video game series. His villains – like the Joker, Catwoman, and the Riddler – are so famous they’ve each starred in their own major films and stories. It’s rare for a fictional character to stay relevant and successful for almost ninety years with such diverse adaptations.

Godzilla Franchise — 73 Years Active

Godzilla originated from a place of real pain and fear. The first Godzilla film, released in 1954, directly reflected Japan’s anxieties after experiencing nuclear attacks. It visualized the terrifying and unstoppable destruction of atomic weapons through a monstrous creature. While the Godzilla series grew to include many sequels with varying styles – from lighthearted monster fights to the critically acclaimed Godzilla Minus One in 2023 – the original’s theme of overwhelming, unavoidable disaster has always remained at its core.

The 2014 film Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards, brought the iconic monster to Hollywood and launched Legendary’s MonsterVerse. This shared universe brought Godzilla and King Kong together in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong and 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. With another MonsterVerse film planned for 2027, and Toho continuing to make Godzilla movies in Japan, the character now exists in two distinct film series at the same time. It’s rare for a franchise to remain so active and successful after eighty years.

James Bond Franchise — 65 Years Active

Before Hollywood started focusing on interconnected movie universes, the James Bond series showed that audiences would happily follow a single character through many different actors, directors, and changing world events. Starting with Dr. No in 1962, Eon Productions successfully adapted Ian Fleming’s novels, creating a winning formula: international adventures, unforgettable villains, spectacular action sequences, and memorable theme songs. This formula proved incredibly resilient, even outlasting the Cold War that originally inspired it. While Sean Connery first made the role famous, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig each brought their own unique style to the iconic spy story.

Daniel Craig finished his time as James Bond with the 2021 film No Time to Die, which offered a surprisingly emotional and conclusive ending for a series that usually avoids lasting consequences. The search for the next actor to play 007 has captured the public’s attention like few casting choices ever do, and the development of the next Bond film is still underway. Over 25 official Eon Productions films, the Bond franchise has earned billions of dollars globally and given us some of the most memorable action scenes in movie history – including moments from GoldenEye, Casino Royale, and Skyfall.

Planet Of The Apes Franchise — 59 Years Active

Released in 1968, Planet of the Apes quickly became famous for its shocking twist ending and its surprisingly insightful commentary on politics and society. The film, adapted from Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, used a world ruled by apes to examine issues like racism, the abuse of power, and human pride – themes that continue to resonate with audiences today and have kept the franchise popular for decades.

The original film spawned four sequels, two TV shows, and a controversial 2001 remake directed by Tim Burton, but none could quite replicate the feeling of dread and lasting impact of the first movie.

The Planet of the Apes series was successfully rebooted in 2011 with Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The film used advanced motion-capture technology to create Caesar, a remarkably engaging character played by Andy Serkis, who quickly became a standout hero in big-budget movies. The following three films – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes – told a deeply emotional story, and the 2024 release, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, began a new storyline, demonstrating that the franchise still has much more to offer.

Rocky Franchise — 51 Years Active

Sylvester Stallone famously wrote the script for Rocky in just three days. He sold it for a very low price because he was determined to star in the movie himself—and it was a brilliant move. In 1977, Rocky won the Academy Award for Best Picture and became the start of a hugely popular series. Over nearly thirty years and six films, audiences followed Rocky Balboa’s struggles and triumphs with genuine emotion, remaining invested in his story even as boxing’s popularity declined. It’s rare for a film series to maintain that level of connection with viewers for so long.

The Rocky movies achieved something unusual in Hollywood when they transitioned to a new generation with Creed in 2015. Creed introduced Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan, as the son of Rocky’s former rival, successfully maintaining the heart of the original series while offering a fresh perspective. In 2023, Creed III marked Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, resulting in the biggest opening weekend of the series and establishing Creed as a successful franchise on its own.

Star Wars Franchise — 50 Years Active

When George Lucas released Star Wars in 1977, it completely changed Hollywood’s approach to big-budget films, related merchandise, and creating immersive fictional universes. The original trilogy, set in a distant galaxy, introduced unforgettable characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader, and built a compelling mythology that continues to grow even today. It’s rare for a story to capture the hearts of so many people across generations, bringing grandparents and grandchildren together to enjoy it.

When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, it greatly expanded the Star Wars universe with a new trilogy of films, standalone movies like Rogue One and Solo, and a growing number of streaming series, most notably The Mandalorian. While the sequel trilogy caused some disagreement among dedicated fans, the franchise has remained popular. A theatrical release of The Mandalorian & Grogu is planned, and as Star Wars nears its 50th anniversary, it shows no signs of losing its appeal.

Alien Franchise — 48 Years Active

Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, Alien, felt remarkably fresh. It was a tense, slowly unfolding horror movie set in space, focusing on the chilling realities of corporate negligence and the fear of the unknown, a stark contrast to the hopeful science fiction films of the time. Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal of Ellen Ripley established her as a groundbreaking action hero over the course of four films, and the creature known as the Xenomorph became instantly iconic for its terrifying and unique design. James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens, is widely considered a perfect example of how to create a follow-up film that builds upon the original without losing what made it special.

After a bumpy period with films like Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection, and the Prometheus and Alien: Covenant prequels—which received mixed reactions—the 2024 film Alien: Romulus was a critical and commercial success, signaling a return to the franchise’s roots. Almost fifty years after the original crew of the Nostromo first detected that fateful distress call, the Xenomorph is still managing to scare new generations of viewers.

Jurassic Park Franchise — 34 Years Active

Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film, Jurassic Park, was a massive hit that truly brought dinosaurs to life. Its innovative use of practical effects and computer graphics still looks impressive today. While the movie is based on Michael Crichton’s novel and features a thrilling premise, it also explores important themes like the ethics of genetic engineering, the dangers of corporate greed, and humanity’s tendency to try and control nature. Jeff Goldblum’s character, Ian Malcolm, summed up the film’s central idea perfectly when he said, “Life, uh, finds a way.”

I’ve been a fan of Jurassic Park since the beginning, and it was amazing to see it come back so strong with Jurassic World in 2015! That movie was huge, and it brought the magic to a whole new generation. The trilogy wrapped up with Dominion in 2022, which was fantastic because it brought back Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum alongside the newer characters. Now, with Jurassic World Rebirth in 2025, it’s clear this franchise just won’t quit! After over 30 years, people still can’t get enough of seeing dinosaurs roam the Earth – it’s a reminder of who really ruled the planet first, and it’s thrilling to watch!

2026-05-24 17:33