List of highest-grossing media franchises
This is a list of media franchises that have grossed $2 billion and more.
List
Franchise | Year of inception | Total revenue (est. US$) | Revenue breakdown (est. US$) | Original medium | Creator(s) | Owner(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$50 billion+ |
||||||
Pokémon | 1996 | $88 billion |
|
Video game | Satoshi Tajiri |
The Pokémon Company (Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak) (copyright; trademark in Japan) Nintendo (trademark globally) |
Mickey Mouse & Friends | 1928 | $52.2 billion |
|
Animated cartoon |
Walt Disney Ub Iwerks |
The Walt Disney Company |
$20–50 billion |
||||||
Winnie the Pooh | 1924 | $48.5 billion | Book |
A. A. Milne E. H. Shepard |
The Walt Disney Company | |
Star Wars | 1977 | $46.7 billion |
|
Film | George Lucas |
Lucasfilm (The Walt Disney Company) |
Disney Princess | 2000 | $45.4 billion |
|
Animated films | Andy Mooney | The Walt Disney Company |
Anpanman | 1973 | $38.4 billion |
|
Picture book | Takashi Yanase |
Froebel-kan (Toppan Printing Co.) |
Wizarding World (Harry Potter) |
1997 | $34.5 billion |
|
Novel | J. K. Rowling |
J. K. Rowling (books) Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) (films) |
Barbie | 1987 | $33.9 billion |
|
Television special | Ruth Handler | Mattel |
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) |
2008 | $32.3 billion |
|
Film |
Marvel Studios Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
Walt Disney Studios (The Walt Disney Company) Sony Pictures (Spider-Man films) Universal Pictures (The Incredible Hulk) |
Call of Duty | 2003 | $31 billion |
|
Video game | Steve Fukuda Zied Rieke |
Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
Batman | 1939 | $29.6 billion |
|
Comic book |
Bob Kane Bill Finger |
DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Hello Kitty | 1974 | $28.3 billion |
|
Cartoon character |
Yuko Shimizu Shintaro Tsuji |
Sanrio |
Spider-Man | 1962 | $25.4 billion |
|
Comic book |
Stan Lee Steve Ditko |
Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) Sony Pictures (films) |
Transformers | 1984 | $25 billion |
|
Animated series |
Shōji Kawamori Kazutaka Miyatake |
Takara Tomy Hasbro |
Dungeon Fighter Online (DFO) |
2005 | $22 billion |
|
Video game | Neople |
Nexon Tencent |
Cars | 2006 | $21.5 billion |
|
Animated film |
Pixar John Lasseter |
The Walt Disney Company |
Candy Crush | 2012 | $20 billion |
|
Video game | King | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
$10–19 billion |
||||||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1984 | $17.4 billion |
|
Comic book |
Kevin Eastman Peter Laird |
Nickelodeon (Paramount Global) |
Looney Tunes | 1930 | $15.9 billion |
|
Animated cartoon |
Hugh Harman Rudolf Ising |
Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Dora the Explorer | 2000 | $15.8 billion |
|
Animated series |
Chris Gifford Valerie Walsh Eric Weiner |
Nickelodeon (Paramount Global) |
Pac-Man | 1980 | $15.4 billion |
|
Video game |
Toru Iwatani Namco |
Bandai Namco Entertainment (Bandai Namco Holdings) |
The Lion King | 1994 | $15.2 billion |
|
Animated film |
Roger Allers Rob Minkoff |
The Walt Disney Company |
Toy Story | 1995 | $14.8 billion |
|
Animated film |
Pixar John Lasseter |
The Walt Disney Company |
James Bond | 1953 | $14.4 billion |
|
Novel | Ian Fleming |
Jonathan Cape (books) Danjaq and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (films) |
Peanuts | 1950 | $14.4 billion |
|
Comic strip | Charles M. Schulz |
Sony Music Entertainment Japan (Sony) Peanuts Worldwide LLC (WildBrain) |
PAW Patrol | 2013 | $14.4 billion |
|
Animated series | Keith Chapman | Spin Master |
Avengers | 1963 | $14.3 billion |
|
Comic book | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Frozen | 2013 | $13.9 billion |
|
Animated film |
Chris Buck Jennifer Lee Hans Christian Andersen |
The Walt Disney Company |
Space Invaders | 1978 | $13.9 billion |
|
Video game | Tomohiro Nishikado |
Taito (Square Enix) |
SpongeBob SquarePants | 1999 | $13.7 billion |
|
Animated series | Stephen Hillenburg |
Nickelodeon (Paramount Global) |
Warcraft | 1994 | $12.4 billion |
|
Video game | Allen Adham Frank Pearce Michael Morhaime |
Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
Despicable Me (Minions) |
2010 | $11.3 billion |
|
Animated film | Sergio Pablos |
Illumination Universal Pictures (Comcast) |
Star Trek | 1966 | $10.7 billion |
|
Television series | Gene Roddenberry | Paramount Global |
Street Fighter | 1987 | $10.7 billion |
|
Video game |
Takashi Nishiyama Hiroshi Matsumoto |
Capcom |
Rilakkuma | 2003 | $10 billion |
|
Manga | Aki Kondo | San-X |
Monster Strike | 2013 | $10 billion |
|
Mobile Game | Yoshiki Okamoto | Mixi |
$5–9 billion |
||||||
Grand Theft Auto (GTA) |
1997 | $9.88 billion |
|
Video game |
DMA Design David Jones Mike Dailly |
Rockstar Games (Take-Two Interactive) |
Dragon Ball | 1984 | $9.45 billion |
|
Manga | Akira Toriyama |
Akira Toriyama (Bird Studio) Shueisha (Hitotsubashi Group) (manga) Toei Animation (anime) Bandai Namco |
Angry Birds | 2009 | $9.19 billion |
|
Video game | Jaakko Iisalo |
Rovio Entertainment (Sega Sammy Holdings) |
Thomas & Friends | 1945 | $9.12 billion |
|
Book |
Wilbert Awdry Christopher Awdry |
Egmont Group Mattel |
Fortnite | 2017 | $9 billion |
|
Video game | Epic Games | Epic Games Tencent |
Jurassic Park | 1990 | $8.82 billion |
|
Novel | Michael Crichton |
Alfred A. Knopf (novel) Universal Pictures (Comcast) Amblin (Reliance / Hasbro / Alibaba) (film) |
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | 2016 | $8.74 billion |
|
Manga | Koyoharu Gotōge | Koyoharu Gotōge and Shueisha (Hitotsubashi Group) (manga) Toho (Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group) (films) |
Super Sentai / Power Rangers |
1975 (1993 – Power Rangers) |
$8.67 billion |
|
Television series |
Shotaro Ishinomori Haim Saban Shuki Levy |
Toei Company (Super Sentai) Bandai Namco Holdings (Super Sentai merchandise) Hasbro (Power Rangers) |
Mario | 1981 | $8.60 billion |
|
Video game |
Shigeru Miyamoto Nintendo R&D1 |
Nintendo |
Fast & Furious | 2001 | $7.91 billion |
|
Film | Gary Scott Thompson | Universal Pictures (Comcast) |
Pirates of the Caribbean | 2003 | $7.9 billion |
|
Film |
Walt Disney Walt Disney Imagineering Marc Davis Gore Verbinski Jerry Bruckheimer |
The Walt Disney Company |
Ben 10 | 2005 | $7.85 billion |
|
Animated series | Man of Action Studios | Cartoon Network (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Sesame Street (The Muppets) |
1955 | $7.72 billion |
|
Television series |
Jim Henson Joan Ganz Cooney Lloyd Morrisett |
The Muppets Studio (The Walt Disney Company) Sesame Workshop |
DC Extended Universe (DCEU) |
2013 | $7.63 billion |
|
Film | DC Entertainment | DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Ultra Series (Ultraman) |
1966 | $7.4 billion |
|
Television series | Eiji Tsuburaya |
Tsuburaya Productions (Bandai Namco Holdings) |
Madden NFL | 1998 | $7 billion |
|
Video game | Electronic Arts | Electronic Arts National Football League (NFL) |
Fate (Fate/stay night) |
2004 | $7 billion |
|
Video games | Type-Moon |
Type-Moon (visual novel) Aniplex (Sony Music Japan) (anime & mobile game) |
X-Men | 1963 | $6.9 billion |
|
Comic book |
Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Superman | 1938 | $6.9 billion |
|
Comic book |
Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster |
DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Middle-earth (The Lord of the Rings) |
1937 | $6.84 billion |
|
Novel | J. R. R. Tolkien |
Tolkien Estate (books) Middle-earth Enterprises (Embracer Freemode) (ownership of IP outside of books) New Line Cinema (Warner Bros. Discovery) (films, under sublicense of Middle-earth Enterprises) |
Halo | 2001 | $6.5 billion |
|
Video game |
Bungie 343 Industries |
Microsoft Gaming |
Ice Age | 2002 | $6.42 billion |
|
Animated film |
Michael J. Wilson Blue Sky Studios |
20th Century Studios (The Walt Disney Company) |
Shrek | 1990 | $6.3 billion |
|
Picture book |
William Steig DreamWorks Animation |
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (book) Universal Pictures (Comcast) (films) |
The Phantom of the Opera | 1986 | $6.15 billion |
|
Musical theatre | Andrew Lloyd Webber | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Avatar | 2009 | $5.78 billion |
|
Film | James Cameron | 20th Century Studios (The Walt Disney Company) |
Sonic the Hedgehog | 1991 | $5.76 billion |
|
Video game |
Sonic Team Hirokazu Yasuhara Yuji Naka Naoto Ohshima |
Sega (Sega Sammy Holdings) |
Yu-Gi-Oh! | 1996 | $5.25 billion |
|
Manga | Kazuki Takahashi | Kazuki Takahashi Shueisha (Hitotsubashi Group) (manga) Konami (games and cards) |
Mamma Mia | 1975 | $5.16 billion |
|
Song | ABBA |
Polar / Epic (Sony) (song) Universal Pictures (AT&T) (films) |
Mortal Kombat | 1992 | $5.06 billion |
|
Video game |
Midway Games Chicago Ed Boon John Tobias |
Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Gundam | 1979 | $5 billion |
|
Anime series | Yoshiyuki Tomino |
Bandai Namco Filmworks, directly and through Sotsu (Bandai Namco Holdings) |
The Sims | 2000 | $5 billion |
|
Video game | Will Wright | Electronic Arts |
Bob the Builder | 1998 | $5 billion |
|
Animated series | Keith Chapman | Mattel |
$2–4 billion |
||||||
My Little Pony | 1984 | $4.99 billion |
|
Animated cartoon |
Lauren Faust Bonnie Zacherle |
Hasbro |
The Simpsons | 1987 | $4.9 billion |
|
Animated series | Matt Groening |
20th Century Studios (The Walt Disney Company) |
Scooby-Doo | 1969 | $4.69 billion |
|
Animated series |
Joe Ruby Ken Spears |
Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Beyblade | 1999 | $4.6 billion |
|
Manga | Takao Aoki | Takao Aoki Shogakukan (Hitotsubashi Group) |
The Big Bang Theory | 2007 | $4.57 billion |
|
Television series |
Chuck Lorre Bill Prady |
Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Seinfeld | 1989 | $4.56 billion |
|
Television series |
Larry David Jerry Seinfeld |
Sony Pictures Television (Sony) |
Twilight | 2005 | $4.31 billion |
|
Novel | Stephenie Meyer |
Little, Brown and Company Summit Entertainment |
Mission: Impossible | 1966 | $4.1 billion |
|
Television series | Bruce Geller | Paramount Pictures (Paramount Global) |
Gran Turismo | 1997 | $4.1 billion |
|
Video game |
Kazunori Yamauchi Polyphony Digital |
Sony Interactive Entertainment (Sony) |
Strawberry Shortcake | 1979 | $4 billion |
|
Greeting card | American Greetings | WildBrain |
The Smurfs | 1958 | $4 billion |
|
Comic | Peyo | Studio Peyo |
Cabbage Patch Kids | 1982 | $4 billion |
|
television special | Coleco |
Wicked Cool Toys (Berkshire Hathaway) |
G.I. Joe | 1967 | $3.95 billion |
|
Comic | Stan Weston | Hasbro |
Genshin Impact | 2020 | $3.6 billion |
|
Video game |
miHoYo Cai Haoyu |
miHoYo |
Beauty and the Beast | 1991 | $3.52 billion |
|
Animated film |
Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve |
The Walt Disney Company |
Skylanders | 2011 | $3.5 billion |
|
Video game | Toys for Bob | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
The Hunger Games | 2008 | $3.47 billion |
|
Novel | Suzanne Collins |
Scholastic Corporation (books) Lionsgate (films) |
Titanic | 1997 | $3.42 billion |
|
Film | James Cameron | Paramount Pictures (North America) 20th Century Studios (international) (The Walt Disney Company) |
Minecraft | 2009 | $3.3 billion |
|
Video game | Markus Persson |
Mojang Studios (Xbox Game Studios) |
Bratz | 2001 | $3.23 billion |
|
Doll | Carter Bryant | MGA Entertainment |
Hamtaro | 1997 | $3.02 billion |
|
Manga | Ritsuko Kawai | Shogakukan (Hitotsubashi Group) |
Terminator | 1984 | $3 billion |
|
Film | James Cameron Gale Anne Hurd |
Skydance Media |
Astro Boy | 1952 | $3 billion |
|
Manga | Osamu Tezuka | Tezuka Productions |
Thor | 1962 | $2.98 billion |
|
Comic book | Stan Lee Larry Lieber Jack Kirby |
Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Iron Man | 1963 | $2.89 billion |
|
Comic book | Stan Lee Jack Kirby Larry Lieber Don Heck |
Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Guardians of the Galaxy | 1969 | $2.71 billion |
|
Comic book | Marvel Comics | Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Resident Evil (Biohazard) |
1996 | $2.7 billion |
|
Video game |
Shinji Mikami Tokuro Fujiwara |
Capcom |
Indiana Jones | 1981 | $2.6 billion |
|
Film | George Lucas Steven Spielberg |
Lucasfilm (The Walt Disney Company) |
Madagascar | 2005 | $2.59 billion |
|
Animated film |
Tom McGrath Eric Darnell |
DreamWorks Animation (Comcast) |
Captain America | 1941 | $2.55 billion |
|
Comic book |
Joe Simon Jack Kirby |
Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company) |
The Powerpuff Girls | 1998 | $2.52 billion |
|
Animated series | Craig McCracken | Cartoon Network (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Winx Club | 2004 | $2.5 billion |
|
Animated series | Iginio Straffi |
Rainbow S.p.A. Paramount Global (copyright for seasons 5–7) |
Friends | 1994 | $2.5 billion |
|
Television series |
David Crane Marta Kauffman |
Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
Sailor Moon | 1991 | $2.5 billion |
|
Manga | Naoko Takeuchi | Naoko Takeuchi Kodansha (manga) Toei Animation (anime) |
The Incredibles | 2004 | $2.37 billion |
|
Animated film | Pixar | The Walt Disney Company |
Kumamon | 2010 | $2.36 billion |
|
Cartoon | Kumamoto Prefecture | Kumamoto Prefecture |
Aladdin | 1992 | $2.33 billion |
|
Animated film |
Walt Disney Animation Hanna Diyab |
The Walt Disney Company |
Black Panther | 1966 | $2.29 billion |
|
Comic book |
Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
Marvel Entertainment (The Walt Disney Company) |
Planet of the Apes | 1963 | $2.27 billion |
|
Novel | Pierre Boulle |
Éditions Julliard (book) 20th Century Studios (Disney) (films) |
Jumanji | 1981 | $2.24 billion |
|
Picture book | Chris Van Allsburg | Sony |
The Conjuring Universe | 2013 | $2.18 billion |
|
Film | James Wan | Warner Brothers |
Finding Nemo | 2003 | $2.15 billion |
|
Animated film | Andrew Stanton | The Walt Disney Company |
The Little Mermaid | 1989 | $2.21 billion |
|
Animated film |
Ron Clements John Musker |
The Walt Disney Company |
MonsterVerse | 2014 | $2.09 billion |
|
Film |
Thomas Tull Ishirō Honda (Godzilla) Edgar Wallace (King Kong) Merian C. Cooper (King Kong) |
Warner Brothers Legendary Entertainment Toho (Godzilla) |
Yo-kai Watch | 2013 | $2.09 billion |
|
Video game | Level-5 | Level-5 |
The Chronicles of Narnia | 2005 | $2.06 billion |
|
Film |
C. S. Lewis Andrew Adamson |
Netflix |
Godzilla (Gojira) |
1954 | $2.05 billion |
|
Film | Ishirō Honda | Toho |
Kung Fu Panda | 2008 | $2.05 billion |
|
Animated film |
Ethan Reiff Cyrus Voris |
Universal Pictures (Comcast) |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 1982 | $2.04 billion |
|
Film | Steven Spielberg | Universal Pictures (Comcast) |
Bourne | 1980 | $2.03 billion |
|
Novel | Robert Ludlum |
Eric Van Lustbader (books) Universal Pictures (Comcast) (films) |
Care Bears | 1981 | $2.03 billion |
|
Greeting card | American Greetings | American Greetings |
Men in Black | 1990 | $2.02 billion |
|
Comic book | Lowell Cunningham | Marvel Comics (Disney) (comics) Sony (films) |
Ghostbusters | 1984 | $2.02 billion |
|
Film |
Dan Aykroyd Harold Ramis |
Sony |
Guitar Hero | 2005 | $2 billion |
|
Video game | Harmonix | Activision Blizzard (Microsoft Gaming) |
Lego | 1995 | $2 billion |
|
Video game | Lego Interactive (The Lego Group) | TT Games (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
NBA Jam | 1993 | $2 billion |
|
Video game | Midway Games | Electronic Arts National Basketball Association (NBA) |