It seems we all love a sequel - yes the franchise is alive and well and doing the business at the box office.
This summer we have already seen Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and Transformers add to their total box office gross as fans have flocked to cinemas to catch the latest instalment.
So we take a look at the biggest grossing franchises that have graced the big screen over the years.
- Harry Potter (7 movies) - $6.34 billion
Not including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which has only been out for a week, Harry Potter is the most successful franchise of all time.
Already it has taken over $6.3 billion, that could break $7 billion by the time takings of the final movie have been added in.
However a Harry Potter movie has never broken $1 billion - could this be about to chance as the franchise is about to come to a close?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the most successful movie in the series taking $974 million back in 2001 - yes it really was a decade ago.
- Star Wars (6 movies) - $5.49 billion
Star War were the most loved movie of a generation as A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi hit the big screen from 1977 through to 1983,
But a new era brought a new set of movies as George Lucas returned to the franchise with new technology to play with.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which was released back in 1999, is the most successful film in the franchise as it took over $924 million at the global box office.
- James Bond (22 movies) - $5,029 billion
With 22 movies spanning nearly fifty years James Bond is the most famous and popular spy - with many actor taking on the role.
Daniel Craig is the current face of the franchise and the British actor has brought huge success to the series.
Casino Royale is the currently the best performing movie at the box office with $594 million when the movie was released in 2006.
And the franchise will only continue to succeed as Bond 23 is currently in the pipeline - which Craig set to return to the role of 007.
- Pirates of the Caribbean (4 movies) $3,690 billion
Who would have thought that a movie based on a theme-park ride would be so successful... but it seems that film fans can't get enough of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Johnny Depp swaggered onto the big screen back in 2003 - in one swoop creating a cinema icon.
Expected to just be a trilogy of movies it was Dead Man's Chest that was the most lucrative taking $1,226 billion - the 4th biggest movie of all time.
At World's End also came close to breaking that $1billion barrier. But this summer Jack returned in On Stranger Tides.
And the franchise was just as popular as ever as the film has so far taken $1,008 billion - the first movie of 2011 to break $1 billion.
A fifth movie is in the pipeline and Depp is on the verge of signing to reprise the role.
- Shrek (4 movies) - $2,953 billion
Shrek is the most successful animation franchise that has spanned over four movies - Shrek, Fiona and Donkey being some of the most popular movie characters in recent years.
The franchise was brought to a close last year with Shrek Forever After - which added a further $752 million to the success of the series.
However it was Shrek 2 that enjoyed the biggest box office success back in 2004 as it took $919 million.
- The Lord of the Rings (3 movies) - $2,912 billion
It would be hard to argue against the fact that The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest trilogies ever brought to the big screen.
The book many said was unfilmable dominated Christmas cinema for three consecutive years as Peter Jackson delivered his vision to the world.
And what a fine vision it was as Return of the King stormed the Oscars that year taking Best Picture - and the ten other gongs it was nominated for.
Return of the King proved to be the biggest success of the series as it grossed $1,319 and is the 3rd biggest grossing movie of all time.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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