6 Movie Franchises With Impressive Rotten Tomatoes Streaks

Rotten Tomatoes isn’t a perfect indicator of whether a movie franchise is worthwhile or not, but those that maintain long streaks of “fresh” scores typically do so for a reason. Many movie franchises start off strong — enough so that they spawn multiple sequels and spinoffs — then steadily decline or dip in places throughout their runs. It’s difficult for an IP to keep a high quality with every release, and this is especially true for the longest-running movie franchises.

Some franchises bounce back from these low points, while others cut their losses. And a select few do manage impressive review streaks before ending or falling off. Even if these franchises don’t consistently get above 90% for all of their movies, they successfully maintain fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes’ platform for years at a time. Given how unpredictable critic scores can be, this is no easy feat; it speaks to a franchise’s consistency and quality when it’s able to do this.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe – Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Scores For 25 Movies

Streak Started With Iron Man & Ended With Eternals

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has recently struggled with reviews and box office numbers, but the movie franchise had a lengthy positive streak that lasted through The Infinity Saga. Starting with Iron Man in 2008, the MCU maintained “fresh” Rotten Tomatoes scores for every movie up until The Eternals, which received a “rotten” 47% from critics. A 25-movie streak is incredibly impressive, and it’s something most other franchises haven’t accomplished. While not every film from this era of the MCU is the same in terms of reception and quality, even the less-loved ones, like Thor: The Dark World, boast a fresh score above 60%.

Despite breaking its fresh streak with Eternals, the MCU has already made something of a comeback in terms of critic scores. Movies released right after Eternals, like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, have resumed getting above 60%. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the only other MCU film to receive a rotten score, coming in at 46%.

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Universal Monsters Movies – Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Scores For 17 Movies

Started With The Hunchback Of Notre Dame & Ended With The Mummy’s Tomb

The Universal Classic Monster movies were huge hits from the 1920s to the 1950s, and given the films’ positive reception over several decades, it’s no wonder the studio is trying to reignite it with the Dark Universe. Although some of Universal’s later monster movies received negative critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes, the franchise remained consistently fresh across 17 consecutive films. Starting with the first movie in the franchise — 1923’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame — Universal’s monster movies boast fresh scores until 1942’s The Mummy’s Tomb.

Even after The Mummy‘s Tomb, a handful of Universal monster movies received fresh critic scores — though the number of rotten ratings increased notably. And Universal’s recent attempts at monster movies have mostly failed. 2023’s vampire films, Renfield and The Last Voyage of Demeter both received under 60%. And most monster movies to come out after 2000 met similar fates, with 2020’s The Invisible Man being a noteworthy exception.

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The Batman Franchise – Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Scores For 14 Movies

Started With Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero & Ended With Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Batman movies can be hit or miss, but 14 of them received fresh critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes between the years of 1998 and 2016. Many of the films included in Batman‘s fresh streak include animated movies, which dominated the franchise on the heels of 1997’s critically panned Batman & Robin. However, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy also helped maintain the franchise’s positive reception during this time period. Sadly, the Batman movie franchise’s streak was broken by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016, which got a mere 29% score from Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Fortunately, Batman‘s projects seem to be on an upward trajectory again. 2019’s Joker and 2022’s The Batman bode well for the IP’s future, especially since both are getting sequels. If these series continue to “wow” moviegoers, Batman could see another fresh streak in the near future.

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Harry Potter – Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Scores For 9 Movies

Started With Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone & Ended With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald

The Harry Potter franchise boasted critical acclaim for most of its run, and only recent movies have broken its positive streak on Rotten Tomatoes. The original Harry Potter series, which consists of eight films, has overwhelmingly positive scores on the site. In fact, none of the original Harry Potter movies has below a 75% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Even the first Fantastic Beasts movie boasts a fresh 74%, indicating that the franchise’s quality only dipped very recently. Due to controversies surrounding the IP and film, as well as other complaints, the final two Fantastic Beasts films are both under 50%.

With Warner Bros. pivoting its approach to Harry Potter to television, the franchise may not be able to come back from its negative reception on the movie end. However, the upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot could reignite interest in the property and lead to more films later on. It all depends on what response the new series gets, and it will be a while before it premieres.

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Indiana Jones – Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Scores For 5 Movies

Started With Raiders Of The Lost Ark & Ended With Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

The Indiana Jones franchise arose from the 1981 classic — and unlike many other hits from this time period, it maintained a consistent quality over five films and four decades. While franchises like Jurassic Park bounce up and down in terms of the critical reception to their sequels, Indiana Jones boasts fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores for all five of its films. And while a five-movie streak on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t completely uncommon, it’s rare to see a franchise that is complete and doesn’t have a single rotten score.

Even 1992’s TV show, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, boasts a 78% critic score, highlighting the franchise’s positive legacy. While recent Indiana Jones installments don’t necessarily live up to the original film, there’s no denying they do a better job at reigniting the franchise than most reboots and sequels. They also offer a satisfying conclusion, so it’s no wonder they boast fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores.

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The Hunger Games Franchise – Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Scores For 5 Movies

Started With The Hunger Games & Ended With The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

Like Indiana Jones, the Hunger Games is on the shorter side when it comes to movie franchises, but its impressive, five-movie Rotten Tomatoes streak encompasses its entire run. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire kick things off strongly with 84% and 90% critic scores, respectively. And even though the later installments and recent Hunger Games prequel all fall in the 60s, they successfully maintain the dystopian franchise’s fresh reception on the platform.

Receiving critical acclaim for every movie in a franchise is no easy feat, but given The Hunger Games’ impact and quality, it’s no surprise that the adaptation manages it. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2 is unlikely to happen, but if it does, it risks breaking The Hunger Games’ streak if its score falls too far below the original prequel. This is the case for any new Hunger Games movie that makes its way onto Rotten Tomatoes, but only time will tell if that’s a concern. The franchise could very well end with its 2023 release.