Highest-grossing media franchises are the entertainment brands that have earned the most money across all their products combined. A media franchise starts as one work — a film, book, video game, comic, or TV show — and grows into many: sequels, toys, clothing, theme parks, and more. This list ranks franchises by their estimated total revenue, counting box office tickets, home video, video games, merchandise, and other licensed products.
One surprise stands out: movies are usually the smallest part of the money. For most giant franchises, merchandise — toys, cards, clothes, and licensed goods — earns far more than theaters ever do. That is why Pokémon, Hello Kitty, and Winnie-the-Pooh rank above famous film series like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and why Japanese character brands appear so often near the top.
All numbers are estimates as of mid-2026. Companies rarely publish complete totals, so figures are pieced together from many reports over decades and should be read as rough sizes, not exact amounts. Some sources publish much higher totals for the biggest franchises depending on what they count.
1 $50 billion and above✎
| Franchise | Country | Began | Est. revenue | Original medium | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon |  i Japan |
1996 | $115 billion+ | Video game | The Pokémon Company (Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak) |
| Mickey Mouse & Friends |  i USA |
1928 | $61.2 billion | Animated cartoon | The Walt Disney Company |
| Winnie-the-Pooh |  i UK |
1924 | $50.2 billion | Book | The Walt Disney Company |
Pokémon's lead comes mostly from retail sales — over $100 billion in licensed merchandise, including the world's best-selling trading card game — plus more than $10 billion from mobile games like Pokémon Go.
2 $20–49 billion✎
| Franchise | Country | Began | Est. revenue | Original medium | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars | i USA |
1977 | $46.7 billion+ | Film | Lucasfilm (Disney) |
| Disney Princess | i USA |
2000 | $45.4 billion | Animated films | The Walt Disney Company |
| Anpanman | i Japan |
1973 | $38.4 billion | Picture book | Froebel-kan |
| Barbie | i USA |
1987 | $36.3 billion | Television special | Mattel |
| Marvel Cinematic Universe | i USA |
2008 | $35.2 billion | Film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Wizarding World (Harry Potter) | i UK |
1997 | $34.7 billion | Novel | J. K. Rowling (books), Warner Bros. (films) |
| Hello Kitty | i Japan |
1974 | $33.5 billion | Cartoon character | Sanrio |
| Call of Duty | i USA |
2003 | $31 billion | Video game | Activision Blizzard (Xbox) |
| Batman | i USA |
1939 | $29.9 billion | Comic book | DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
| Spider-Man | i USA |
1962 | $26.8 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney), Sony Pictures (films) |
| Transformers | i Japan · i USA |
1984 | $25 billion | Toy line | Takara Tomy, Hasbro |
| Naruto | i Japan |
1999 | $22.8 billion | Manga | Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha |
| Dungeon Fighter Online |  i South Korea |
2005 | $22 billion | Video game | Nexon, Tencent |
| Cars | i USA |
2006 | $21.5 billion | Animated film | Pixar (Disney) |
| Candy Crush | i UK |
2012 | $20 billion | Video game | Activision Blizzard (Xbox) |
3 $10–19 billion✎
| Franchise | Country | Began | Est. revenue | Original medium | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honor of Kings |  i China |
2015 | $18.7 billion | Video game | Tencent (TiMi Studio) |
| Looney Tunes | i USA |
1930 | $17.5 billion | Animated cartoon | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | i USA |
1984 | $17.4 billion | Comic book | Nickelodeon (Paramount Skydance) |
| SpongeBob SquarePants | i USA |
1999 | $16.6 billion | Animated series | Nickelodeon (Paramount Skydance) |
| The Lion King | i USA |
1994 | $15.9 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Dora the Explorer | i USA |
2000 | $15.8 billion | Animated series | Nickelodeon (Paramount Skydance) |
| Pac-Man | i Japan |
1980 | $15.4 billion | Video game | Bandai Namco |
| Paw Patrol |  i Canada |
2013 | $15.4 billion | Animated series | Spin Master |
| Toy Story | i USA |
1995 | $14.8 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Peanuts | i USA |
1950 | $14.4 billion | Comic strip | Peanuts Holdings (Sony) |
| Avengers | i USA |
1963 | $14.3 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney) |
| Frozen | i USA |
2013 | $13.9 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Space Invaders | i Japan |
1978 | $13.9 billion | Video game | Taito (Square Enix) |
| Warcraft | i USA |
1994 | $12.4 billion | Video game | Activision Blizzard (Xbox) |
| Despicable Me (Minions) | i USA |
2010 | $12.3 billion | Animated film | Illumination / Universal (Comcast) |
| Star Trek | i USA |
1966 | $11.2 billion | Television series | Paramount Skydance |
| Dragon Ball | i Japan |
1984 | $10.7 billion | Manga | Bird Studio, Shueisha, Toei, Bandai Namco |
| Street Fighter | i Japan |
1987 | $10.7 billion | Video game | Capcom |
| Jurassic Park | i USA |
1990 | $10.1 billion | Novel | Universal (Comcast), Amblin |
| Demon Slayer | i Japan |
2016 | $10.1 billion | Manga | Koyoharu Gotōge, Shueisha, ufotable, Aniplex |
| Grand Theft Auto | i UK |
1997 | $10 billion | Video game | Rockstar Games (Take-Two) |
| Rilakkuma | i Japan |
2003 | $10 billion | Manga | San-X |
| Monster Strike | i Japan |
2013 | $10 billion | Video game | Mixi |
Honor of Kings is a special case: it is a single mobile game, not a family of products, yet it has earned more than entire film universes. Nearly all of its money comes from players inside China, where it has been the world's top-grossing mobile game for most of the past decade.
Demon Slayer is the youngest franchise anywhere near this level. Its 2025 film Infinity Castle became the highest-grossing anime movie ever made and pushed the franchise's film total past $1.3 billion — remarkable for a series barely a decade old.
4 $5–9 billion✎
| Franchise | Country | Began | Est. revenue | Original medium | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Bond | i UK |
1953 | $9.8 billion | Novel | Danjaq, Amazon MGM Studios |
| Mario | i Japan |
1981 | $9.6 billion+ | Video game | Nintendo |
| Angry Birds |  i Finland |
2009 | $9.5 billion | Video game | Rovio (Sega Sammy) |
| Thomas & Friends | i UK |
1945 | $9.1 billion | Book | Mattel |
| Fortnite | i USA |
2017 | $9 billion | Video game | Epic Games |
| Super Sentai / Power Rangers | i Japan · i USA |
1975 | $8.7 billion | Television series | Toei, Bandai Namco, Hasbro |
| Middle-earth (The Lord of the Rings) | i UK |
1937 | $8.5 billion | Novel | Tolkien Estate, Middle-earth Enterprises |
| X-Men | i USA |
1963 | $8.4 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney) |
| Superman | i USA |
1938 | $8.2 billion | Comic book | DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
| DC Extended Universe | i USA |
2013 | $8 billion | Film | DC Entertainment (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
| Fast & Furious | i USA |
2001 | $8 billion | Film | Universal (Comcast) |
| Lilo & Stitch | i USA |
2002 | $7.9 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | i USA |
2003 | $7.9 billion | Film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Ben 10 | i USA |
2005 | $7.9 billion | Animated series | Cartoon Network (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
| Sesame Street / The Muppets | i USA |
1955 | $7.7 billion | Television series | Sesame Workshop, Disney |
| Ultraman | i Japan |
1966 | $7.4 billion | Television series | Tsuburaya Productions |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | i Japan |
1991 | $7.4 billion | Video game | Sega (Sega Sammy) |
| Avatar | i USA |
2009 | $7.3 billion | Film | 20th Century Studios (Disney) |
| Fantasy Westward Journey | i China |
2001 | $7 billion+ | Video game | NetEase |
| Puzzle & Dragons | i Japan |
2012 | $7 billion | Video game | GungHo Online Entertainment |
| Madden NFL | i USA |
1998 | $7 billion | Video game | Electronic Arts, NFL |
| Fate | i Japan |
2004 | $7 billion | Video game | Type-Moon, Aniplex |
| Halo | i USA |
2001 | $6.8 billion | Video game | Xbox Game Studios |
| Ice Age | i USA |
2002 | $6.4 billion | Animated film | 20th Century Studios (Disney) |
| Genshin Impact | i China |
2020 | $6.3 billion | Video game | miHoYo |
| Shrek | i USA |
1990 | $6.3 billion | Picture book | Universal (Comcast) |
| The Phantom of the Opera | i UK |
1986 | $6.2 billion | Musical | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| My Little Pony | i USA |
1984 | $6 billion | Toy line | Hasbro |
| Scooby-Doo | i USA |
1969 | $5.4 billion | Animated series | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! | i Japan |
1996 | $5.4 billion | Manga | Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha, Konami |
| Mamma Mia |  i Sweden |
1975 | $5.2 billion | Song | Polar/Epic (Sony), Universal (films) |
| Mortal Kombat | i USA |
1992 | $5.1 billion | Video game | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Gundam | i Japan |
1979 | $5 billion | Anime series | Bandai Namco |
| The Sims | i USA |
2000 | $5 billion | Video game | Electronic Arts |
| Bob the Builder | i UK |
1998 | $5 billion | Animated series | Mattel |
| MapleStory | i South Korea |
2003 | $5 billion | Video game | Nexon |
5 $2–4 billion✎
| Franchise | Country | Began | Est. revenue | Original medium | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons | i USA |
1987 | $4.9 billion | Animated series | 20th Century Studios (Disney) |
| Assassin's Creed |  i France |
2007 | $4.7 billion | Video game | Ubisoft |
| Mission: Impossible | i USA |
1966 | $4.7 billion | Television series | Paramount Skydance |
| Beyblade | i Japan |
1999 | $4.6 billion | Manga | Takao Aoki, Shogakukan |
| The Big Bang Theory | i USA |
2007 | $4.6 billion | Television series | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Seinfeld | i USA |
1989 | $4.6 billion | Television series | Sony Pictures Television |
| Minecraft | i Sweden |
2009 | $4.3 billion | Video game | Mojang Studios (Xbox) |
| Twilight | i USA |
2005 | $4.3 billion | Novel | Little, Brown; Summit Entertainment |
| Gran Turismo | i Japan |
1997 | $4.1 billion | Video game | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Strawberry Shortcake | i USA |
1979 | $4 billion | Greeting card | WildBrain |
| The Smurfs |  i Belgium |
1958 | $4 billion | Comic | Studio Peyo |
| Cabbage Patch Kids | i USA |
1982 | $4 billion | Television special | Wicked Cool Toys |
| G.I. Joe | i USA |
1967 | $4 billion | Comic | Hasbro |
| The Hunger Games | i USA |
2008 | $3.8 billion | Novel | Scholastic (books), Lionsgate (films) |
| Blue's Clues | i USA |
1996 | $3.6 billion | Television series | Nickelodeon (Paramount Skydance) |
| Beauty and the Beast | i USA |
1991 | $3.5 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Skylanders | i USA |
2011 | $3.5 billion | Video game | Activision Blizzard (Xbox) |
| Titanic | i USA |
1997 | $3.5 billion | Film | Paramount, 20th Century Studios |
| Titanfall (Apex Legends) | i USA |
2014 | $3.4 billion | Video game | Electronic Arts |
| Bratz | i USA |
2001 | $3.2 billion | Doll | MGA Entertainment |
| Fengshen Cinematic Universe | i China |
2019 | $3.2 billion | Film | Beijing Enlight Pictures |
| Care Bears | i USA |
1981 | $3.1 billion | Greeting card | Cloudco Entertainment |
| Hamtaro | i Japan |
1997 | $3 billion | Manga | Shogakukan |
| Terminator | i USA |
1984 | $3 billion | Film | Skydance (Paramount Skydance) |
| Astro Boy | i Japan |
1952 | $3 billion | Manga | Tezuka Productions |
| Thor | i USA |
1962 | $3 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney) |
| Zootopia | i USA |
2016 | $2.9 billion | Film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Iron Man | i USA |
1963 | $2.9 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney) |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | i USA |
1969 | $2.7 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney) |
| Inside Out | i USA |
2015 | $2.7 billion | Film | Pixar (Disney) |
| The Elder Scrolls | i USA |
1994 | $2.7 billion | Video game | ZeniMax Media (Xbox) |
| Godzilla | i Japan |
1954 | $2.6 billion | Film | Toho |
| Indiana Jones | i USA |
1981 | $2.6 billion | Film | Lucasfilm (Disney) |
| Madagascar | i USA |
2005 | $2.6 billion | Animated film | DreamWorks (Comcast) |
| Captain America | i USA |
1941 | $2.6 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney) |
| Kung Fu Panda | i USA |
2008 | $2.5 billion | Animated film | Universal (Comcast) |
| Winx Club |  i Italy |
2004 | $2.5 billion | Animated series | Rainbow S.p.A. |
| The Powerpuff Girls | i USA |
1998 | $2.5 billion | Animated series | Cartoon Network (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
| Friends | i USA |
1994 | $2.5 billion | Television series | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Sailor Moon | i Japan |
1991 | $2.5 billion | Manga | Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei |
| The Incredibles | i USA |
2004 | $2.4 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Kumamon | i Japan |
2010 | $2.4 billion | Cartoon | Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Aladdin | i USA |
1992 | $2.3 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Black Panther | i USA |
1966 | $2.3 billion | Comic book | Marvel (Disney) |
| Planet of the Apes | i France |
1963 | $2.3 billion | Novel | 20th Century Studios (Disney) |
| Jumanji | i USA |
1981 | $2.2 billion | Picture book | Sony |
| The Little Mermaid | i USA |
1989 | $2.2 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| The Conjuring Universe | i USA |
2013 | $2.2 billion | Film | Warner Bros. |
| Ghostbusters | i USA |
1984 | $2.2 billion | Film | Sony |
| Finding Nemo | i USA |
2003 | $2.2 billion | Animated film | The Walt Disney Company |
| Rocky | i USA |
1976 | $2.1 billion | Film | MGM (Amazon) |
| MonsterVerse | i USA |
2014 | $2.1 billion | Film | Warner Bros., Legendary, Toho |
| Yo-kai Watch | i Japan |
2013 | $2.1 billion | Video game | Level-5 |
| The Matrix | i USA |
1999 | $2.1 billion | Film | Warner Bros. |
| The Chronicles of Narnia | i USA |
2005 | $2.1 billion | Film | Netflix |
| E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | i USA |
1982 | $2 billion | Film | Universal (Comcast) |
| Robert Langdon (The Da Vinci Code) | i USA |
2000 | $2 billion | Book | Doubleday, Sony |
| Bourne | i USA |
1980 | $2 billion | Novel | Universal (Comcast) |
| Men in Black | i USA |
1990 | $2 billion | Comic book | Sony |
| Resident Evil | i Japan |
1996 | $2 billion | Video game | Capcom |
| Guitar Hero | i USA |
2005 | $2 billion | Video game | Activision Blizzard (Xbox) |
| Lego (video games) | i UK |
1995 | $2 billion | Video game | TT Games (Warner Bros. Discovery) |
| NBA Jam | i USA |
1993 | $2 billion | Video game | Electronic Arts, NBA |
| Neon Genesis Evangelion | i Japan |
1994 | $2 billion | Anime | Khara |
| Farm Heroes Saga | i UK |
2014 | $2 billion | Video game | King (Xbox) |
6 Patterns in the list✎
A few patterns jump out. Japan dominates the top. Pokémon, Hello Kitty, Anpanman, and dozens of other Japanese franchises earn most of their money from character merchandise, a business Japan has perfected for fifty years. Disney owns much of the list. Counting Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and its classic characters, The Walt Disney Company controls more entries than any other company. Video games are the fastest climbers. Franchises like Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and Candy Crush reached billions in under a decade, while film franchises typically need several movies and many years to get there. China is rising fast. Honor of Kings, Genshin Impact, Fantasy Westward Journey, and the Fengshen films (home of Ne Zha 2, the highest-grossing animated movie ever) are all Chinese — and most of them got here through games, not merchandise. Many earn the bulk of their money inside China alone, which means they can grow huge while staying nearly invisible to audiences elsewhere.
7 Other wikis✎
- List of highest-grossing media franchises at Wikipedia