10 Movie Franchises That Went On Longer Than Anyone Expected

Hollywood just keeps piling on sequels, reboots, and spin-offs, and some franchises have gone on way longer than anyone expected. When a film makes a commercial profit, it’s typical that the studio will want to utilize its title again to make more money, whether they understand what made it work in the first place or not. So many film franchises have had a successful first film, then an onslaught of redundant sequels to where it’s shocking how long they went on for.

Still, not every franchise that’s gone on longer than expected is in poor taste. The Marvel Cinematic Universe defied everyone’s expectations with its vast expansion of movies and TV shows, and despite having some duds in recent years, it’s shown no signs of letting up. On the other hand, certain franchises have clung to once-beloved titles and continued to release low-quality sequels for decades for profit. Either way, they defied expectations by how long they’ve gone on for.

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10 Fast & Furious

Eleven films between 2001 and 2023.

Running for over twenty years, the Fast & Furious franchise has gone from a series of movies to a multimedia property of films, TV, and video games. With Fast X: Part 2 set to be released in 2025, the main saga shows no signs of letting up, constantly integrating new stars into the fold and expanding the series with spin-offs like Hobbs & Reyes. The franchise has gone through several iterations, allowing it to stay fresh and exciting, with Vin Diesel ultimately becoming the saga’s leading hero after the first few films exploring different angles.

9 Final Destination

Five films between 2000 and 2011.

Despite consistently low reviews, the Final Destination franchise managed to release five profitable films over the span of 11 years. Horror films tend to draw a box office despite poor reviews, but the supernatural horror series surprisingly improved in box office performance over time. After over a decade, the Final Destination franchise continues with an upcoming reboot, which will offer a fresh take on the story after four awful sequels.

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8 The Scorpion King

Five films between 2002 and 2018.

In 2002, Universal developed a spin-off of The Mummy Returns, centered around Dwayne Johnson’s Scorpion King character. Like Final Destination, The Scorpion King wasn’t a well-received movie critically, yet it performed well enough financially to merit sequels. The Rock has long since left the franchise, but there have been four more Scorpion King movies in the direct-to-video market. Many of these films have had tragically low Rotten Tomatoes scores, and it’s shocking that there’s an audience to merit continuous sequels.

7 Marvel Cinematic Universe

Thirty-three films between 2008 and 2023.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the pleasant surprises in franchise runs, as when it began in 2008, it was hard to fathom such an ambitious cinematic project. With dozens of movies and shows, the MCU has become as close to comics as live-action media can obtain. The MCU has shattered records, becoming the highest-grossing franchise ever, and it’s showing no signs of letting up. Sixteen years later, there are still plenty of up-and-coming, exciting heroes, like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, for Marvel Studios to integrate.

6 Halloween

Thirteen films between 1978 and 2022.

Horror movies are particularly difficult to replicate successfully, and in most cases, a continuous line of sequels is just for box office draw. After all, the famous slasher franchise has been going on since 1978, and the first Halloween movie is still the best. The original film from John Carpenter was lightning in a bottle and was massively influential on the slasher and horror blockbusters that followed. But with twelve sequels and reboots, it’s hard to believe the Halloween franchise is still kicking.

5 Hellraiser

Thirteen films between 1978 and 2022.

Another horror franchise with a shocking amount of sequels is Hellraiser, which began in 1987 and has seen ten films released since. The saga has been relatively consistent, with a new movie every few years. The first Hellraiser was an astounding box office success, pulling over $14 million on a $1 million budget, and a handful of its sequels have tried to replicate that low-budget profit. Several others have been direct-to-video home releases.

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4 Underworld

Five films between 2003 and 2017.

Since 2003, Kate Beckinsale has starred in five Underworld films, an action horror series with a modern gothic premise. Despite never being critically acclaimed or enormously successful in pop culture, the franchise consistently released sequels to box office profit until 2017. Given that no film in the series has scored higher than 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s surprising how consistent of an audience there was for each installment. Kate Beckinsale is done with the franchise, but it’d be surprising if Underworld was never rebooted.

3 Jaws

Four films between 1975 and 1987.

Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is not only one of the most inventive blockbusters but also one of the best movies of all time. Even with advanced technology, however, it’s challenging to replicate the magical suspense in Spielberg’s version, constructed with innovative music and practical effects. Still, studios continued to release sequels using the Jaws title until it had been dragged out so long they weren’t even making a profit. 1987’s Jaws: The Revenge had the least successful box office run in the franchise and has an abysmal 3/10 score on IMDb.

2 Indiana Jones

Five films between 1981 and 2023.

As a franchise that spawned from the minds of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Indiana Jones was always going to have longevity. Still, after Raiders of the Lost Ark, no one could have predicted that Harrison Ford would still be starring as the iconic character in 2023. After The Last Crusade, the franchise appeared to be finished for good until Lucas and Spielberg revived it with The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. With a fresh direction from James Mangold, 2023’s The Dial of Destiny received mixed reviews, and it seems like Harrison Ford is finally done with the character.

1 Home Alone

Six films between 1990 and 2021.

Like Jaws, Home Alone is one of the most beloved movies ever made, and studios have tried to replicate its success by using the title for decades. Even Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which was enjoyed by audiences despite its 35% Rotten Tomatoes score, had some fun to offer the franchise, re-using much of the original cast and gags. Home Alone 3 and beyond are almost unrecognizable, and it’s shocking that the franchise still has movies being made in recent years, with Home Sweet Home Alone released on Disney+ in 2021