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  • HP Film Series / News

“Harry Potter” Makes Most Successful Film Franchises List

by Lucy O'Shea · December 16, 2022

To learn more about how MuggleNet benefits from this post, view our transparency statement.

 

It’s no surprise that MuggleNet thinks that the Harry Potter films make up the best franchise of all time, but we may be a little biased. This, however, poses a question. Can data be used to determine which of the most popular franchises comes out on top?

Betway Casino took a deep dive into the world of movies to find out the most successful film franchises of all time. Data points are based on box office income, film rating, most awards won, most returning cast members, and the most searched-for franchises. So how do the Harry Potter movies compare?

Harry Potter ranked third in the category of highest-grossing films. The $9.7 billion (£8.3 billion) in box office profits generated by the eight movies means it gains a score of 8.9, putting it ahead of Spider-Man but behind Star Wars. Topping the list is Marvel. The ever-expanding superhero universe has grossed $27.4 billion (£23.7 billion) at the box office.

 

A graph from Betway Casino showing the highest grossing film franchises.

Credit: Betway Casino

 

As fans, we know it’s about not just how much a movie makes but also how much the fandom embraces it. Betway Casino analyzed IMDb scores for the franchises and found that the highest-scoring franchise is the Middle Earth franchise (comprising the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies). The eight Potter films have an average IMDb score of 7.4, putting them in second place on the list.

 

A graph from Betway Casino showing the highest rated film franchises.

Credit: Betway Casino

 

When it comes to franchises with the most awards, the Potter films sadly drop to seventh place on the list. Marvel topped the list, with the franchise winning a staggering 555 awards. The Middle Earth franchise has won 494 awards, putting it in second place. Star Wars takes the final podium spot, with 348 awards for the franchise.

 

A graph from Betway Casino showing the film franchises with the most awards.

Credit: Betway Casino

 

But you can’t hold the Harry Potter films down for long. The movies climb back to second place in the returning cast members category. A total of 219 actors returned across the movies, which is quite something considering this data is based on the eight Potter films. For comparison, the figure is just 13 shy of Marvel’s 232 returning cast members, which spans over 20 movies.

 

A graph from Betway Casino showing the film franchises with the most returning cast members.

Credit: Betway Casino

 

The final category is the most searched-for franchises, which includes searches for release dates, merchandise, and trailers. The Harry Potter movies came in fourth place, with a total score of 31.1. However, it was the highest-scoring franchise when considering searches for merchandise. That doesn’t surprise us too much; just take a look at our Gringotts vault…

 

A graph from Betway Casino showing the film franchises with the highest search rates.

Credit: Betway Casino

 

So where does that leave the Harry Potter films? Combining Betway Casino’s scores for each category, the Harry Potter movies totaled 62.6 points, making it the fourth most successful franchise of all time behind Star Wars, Spider-Man, and Marvel.

 

A graph from Betway Casino showing the most successful film franchises.

Credit: Betway Casino

 

While in our minds, the Harry Potter movies remain the best of all time, it’s interesting to see where they rank when the data is taken into account. What do you make of this list? Let us know!

 

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