# What's the greatest genre franchise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352 "2017-08-11T18:28:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/1 "2017-08-11T18:28:24Z")
It’s about time we hashed this out. “Genre” of course being Sci Fi/Fantasy or otherwise otherworldly. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/2 "2017-08-11T18:46:42Z")
Are you kidding? It’s got to be Marvel. Iron Man (2008) The Incredible Hulk (2008) Iron Man 2 (2010) Thor (2011) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) Iron Man 3 (2013) Thor: The Dark World (2013) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Ant-Man (2015) Captain America: Civil War (2016) Doctor Strange (2016) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) With these coming in the next year plus: Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Black Panther (2018) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Captain Marvel (2019) Plus the animated movies, the TV shows, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/3 "2017-08-11T18:56:36Z")
Gotta go with Marvel. I’d put Harry Potter second, as the later films were good. Star Wars gets marred by the prequels. Fast and Furious movies are fun, but dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/4 "2017-08-11T19:18:12Z")
[http://www.filmsite.org/series-boxoffice.html](http://www.filmsite.org/series-boxoffice.html) “Greatest” is a bit vague. That could mean most successful (financially or critically) and/or longest running and/or most entries. If the last, I believe the answer is… > **[Otoko wa Tsurai yo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otoko_wa_Tsurai_yo)** > > Otoko wa Tsurai yo (男はつらいよ, "It's Tough Being a Man") is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as Tora-san (寅さん), a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "Tora-san" by its fans. Spanning 48 installments released between 1969 and 1995, all of the Otoko wa Tsurai yo films except episodes 3 (Azuma Morisaki) and 4 (Shun'ichi Kobayashi) were directed by Yōji Yamada, who also wrote (or co-wrote) all the screenplays. > Each film featured ... But it is possible some other film series emanating from some other country has been going on longer, just not on these shores. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/5 "2017-08-11T19:26:39Z")
Godzilla: 1954 Godzilla (Godzilla, King of The Monsters) 1955 Godzilla Raids Again 1962 King Kong vs. Godzilla 1964 Mothra vs. Godzilla 1964 Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster 1965 Invasion of Astro-Monster (Godzilla vs. Monster Zero) 1966 Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster) 1967 Son of Godzilla 1968 Destroy All Monsters 1969 All Monsters Attack (Godzilla’s Revenge) 1971 Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster) 1972 Godzilla vs. Gigan 1973 Godzilla vs. Megalon 1974 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 1975 Terror of Mechagodzilla 1984 The Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985) 1989 Godzilla vs. Biollante 1991 Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah 1992 Godzilla vs. Mothra (Godzilla & Mothra: The Battle for Earth) 1993 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II 1994 Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla 1995 Godzilla vs. Destoroyah 1999 Godzilla 2000: Millennium (Godzilla 2000) 2000 Godzilla vs. Megaguirus 2001 Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack 2002 Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla 2003 Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. 2004 Godzilla: Final Wars 2007 Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 2016 Godzilla Resurgence (Shin Godzilla) And those are just the Japanese ones. . ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/6 "2017-08-11T19:30:12Z")
Lord of the Rings followed by Star Trek. I’ll give Marvel third if it counts, I would lean towards it not being Sci-Fi/Fantasy though. I think Doctor Who should be on the list but not a big deal as I would place it high on the list. Star Wars has so many terrible entries it should be last. Should Indiana Jones count? I think it deserves to be on the list more than comic book franchises. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/7 "2017-08-11T19:32:59Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Lord of the Rings followed by Star Trek. I’ll give Marvel third if it counts, I would lean towards it not being Sci-Fi/Fantasy though. Everything in superhero comics is either pseudo-science or magic. It’s about as SciFi/Fantasy as it gets. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/8 "2017-08-11T19:37:43Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Everything in superhero comics is either pseudo-science or magic. It’s about as SciFi/Fantasy as it gets. But its superhero comics, it has always been classified separate from Science Fiction/Fantasy. Comics is its own genre. Otherwise why can’t we count biblical stories as Science Fiction/Fantasy? ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/9 "2017-08-11T19:40:16Z")
Gotta go with Star Wars. The movies aren’t the greatest ever, but the franchise has also spawned best-selling books, computer games and TV shows, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/10 "2017-08-11T20:25:10Z")
Not really sure what metric of greatness is used here, but [GeGeGe no Kitarō](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeGeGe_no_Kitar%C5%8D) is a well-regarded horror comic that’s been going strong since the 1960s (if you can really pin it there). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/11 "2017-08-11T21:14:45Z")
How do Mills & Boon and romance compare? In literature, of course. As for films, how about James Bond? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/12 "2017-08-11T21:42:19Z")
So, I didn’t understand the question, when I answered, to be specifically about the fantasy/Sci-Fi genre and I had the James Bond movies in mind. But I guess _Moonraker_ isn’t enough to qualify for the category. Otherwise I’d have to go with _Star Wars_ for sheer cultural impact, or Marvel for sheer size. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/13 "2017-08-12T00:30:39Z")
Are we talking film? Are we talking books? Are we talking something combined? I dislike questions that leave so much unstated you can’t answer them. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/14 "2017-08-12T00:56:44Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > So, I didn’t understand the question, when I answered, to be specifically about the fantasy/Sci-Fi genre and I had the James Bond movies in mind. But I guess _Moonraker_ isn’t enough to qualify for the category. The invisible car, though. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/15 "2017-08-12T01:09:10Z")
Movies: Marvel. Books: Lord of the Rings Kid Lit: Harry Potter Soundtrack: Star Wars Mini skirts: Star Trek ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/16 "2017-08-12T02:07:06Z")
Are there non-genre franchises? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/17 "2017-08-12T04:20:50Z")
One measure of greatness of a story “universe” in my mind is how many fresh stories it could generate. Lord of the Ring has a story that ends\*. Star Wars has one story that it tells over and over again. Harry Potter has a story that ends. Godzilla has variations on one story that it tells over and over again. Star Trek, on the other hand, has already shown a wide variety of kinds of stories, some pretty dark, some light-hearted, along with a wide variety of characters. Get some great writers and a willing studio, and it could go on forever, making money every time. I hate comic book movies, so I’m not even considering those. \*Yes, you could spend time on side stories on such characters as Beorn or Tom Bombadil, or material from the Silmarilion about the First or Second ages, but those aren’t really commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/18 "2017-08-12T10:46:14Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Comics is its own genre. “Comics” is a medium, not a genre. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/19 "2017-08-12T12:09:06Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Are there non-genre franchises? The way the OP is describing it, I guess Clint Eastwood doing sequel after sequel after sequel after sequel as Harry Callahan of the SFPD would count: he never has to deal with aliens or wizards or alien wizards; he only ever faces mundane criminals, and he responds with little more than detective work and pistol marksmanship; and hundreds of millions of dollars obligingly rolled in. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352/20 "2017-08-12T12:18:01Z")
I picked _Star Wars_ because it seems to have the most spin-offs (books, toys, games, etc) and the largest following. I may actually be underestimating the others on offer, but that’s my instinct. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-genre-franchise/793352.md?page=2)