Top 10 Movie Franchises with the Highest Total Box Office Earnings in 1990

1. Star Wars Original Trilogy

Star Wars ranks first because its original trilogy — Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) — combined for roughly $1.3 billion worldwide by 1990, the largest cumulative total of any franchise using just three films. The 1977 original alone earned over $300 million domestically on an $11 million budget. Theatrical re-releases in 1979, 1981, and 1985 kept adding to that total throughout the decade.

This franchise built its total on cultural saturation and merchandising rather than sequel frequency — three films spread across thirteen years, plus re-releases, to reach the top spot. Fans get a complete, self-contained trilogy instead of an ongoing yearly series, the opposite tradeoff made by Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street further down this list. Indiana Jones, ranked just below, followed a similar low-volume, high-gross model.

2. Indiana Jones Trilogy

Indiana Jones ranks second on a combined worldwide gross of nearly $1.2 billion across three films: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) at roughly $384 million, Temple of Doom (1984) at roughly $333 million, and The Last Crusade (1989) at roughly $474 million. Each entry expanded on the last, with Last Crusade posting the franchise's biggest single opening weekend. No other adventure series matched that per-film average by 1990.

Indiana Jones suits viewers who want three tightly plotted adventure films rather than an open-ended saga, trading Star Wars' galaxy-spanning mythology for grounded, globe-trotting set pieces. Its per-film average gross edges out Star Wars once inflation and re-release counts are factored differently, but its cultural footprint stayed smaller. James Bond, just below, spread a similar adventure formula across sixteen films instead of three.

3. James Bond Franchise

James Bond ranks third on sheer volume: sixteen films released between Dr. No (1962) and Licence to Kill (1989) pushed the franchise's cumulative worldwide gross past $1 billion, more entries than any other action series on this list. No single Bond film matched Star Wars or Indiana Jones for per-picture gross, but nearly three decades of steady annual and biennial releases built the largest all-time entry count in the genre.

Bond fits viewers who want a long-running, recastable character rather than a fixed cast or closed story — Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton all played the role by 1990. It trades the tight three-film arcs of Indiana Jones and Star Wars above for continuity spread across generations of moviegoers. Back to the Future, ranked next, compressed its entire story into a much shorter five-year window.

4. Back to the Future Trilogy

Back to the Future ranks fourth on a three-film worldwide total near $960 million: Back to the Future (1985) earned roughly $381 million, Part II (1989) roughly $332 million, and Part III, released in May 1990, roughly $244 million. All three were shot as a connected story arc, with Parts II and III filmed back to back — a production approach none of the higher-ranked franchises used.

This trilogy suits viewers who want a single continuous story resolved in five years rather than a franchise stretched across decades, the opposite approach from James Bond above. Its gross trails Bond, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars because it ran only three films with no spin-offs or reboots. Rocky, ranked just below, matched its five-film consistency but leaned on annual sequels instead of a planned arc.

5. Rocky Franchise

Rocky ranks fifth on five films released between 1976 and 1990 with a combined domestic gross of roughly $490 million, led by the original Rocky's $117 million run on a $1 million budget. Rocky V, released in November 1990, capped the series after Rocky IV alone brought in $127 million domestically in 1985. That fourteen-year, five-film span made Rocky the most consistent annual earner among boxing or drama franchises.

Rocky works for viewers drawn to a single character aging across real time rather than a rotating cast or fantastical premise, unlike Back to the Future above. Its domestic-heavy grosses trail the more globally distributed Bond and Indiana Jones totals, since Rocky sold better in the U.S. than overseas. Superman, ranked next, drew more of its total from international audiences on far fewer films.

6. Superman Film Series

Superman ranks sixth on a combined worldwide gross above $500 million across four films from 1978 to 1987, anchored by Superman: The Movie's roughly $300 million worldwide haul on a then-record $55 million budget. Superman II added another strong international run in 1980, while diminishing returns from Superman III and Superman IV pulled the franchise's average down. That front-loaded pattern kept its total behind Rocky's more evenly distributed five-film gross.

Superman suits viewers who want the first blockbuster-scale comic book adaptation rather than a consistently strong sequel run, since its later films sold far less than the original. It trades Rocky's steady annual returns above for one massive opening film followed by a fading series. Ghostbusters, ranked just below, avoided that decline by stopping after only two films instead of four.

7. Ghostbusters Franchise

Ghostbusters ranks seventh on a combined worldwide gross above $500 million from just two films: the 1984 original earned roughly $295 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, and Ghostbusters II added roughly $215 million in 1989. That made it the highest per-film average comedy franchise on this list, since Superman needed four films and Rocky needed five to reach a similar range. No comedy sequel before 1990 opened bigger than Ghostbusters II.

Ghostbusters suits viewers who want a comedy-driven blockbuster rather than a straight action or adventure franchise, blending effects-heavy spectacle with jokes in a way none of the higher-ranked series attempted. It trades Superman's longer four-film run above for a tighter two-film peak with less overall volume. Rambo, ranked next, matched its two-sequel structure but built its gross from action rather than comedy.

8. Rambo Franchise

Rambo ranks eighth on a combined worldwide gross above $600 million across three films: First Blood (1982) earned roughly $125 million, Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) roughly $300 million, and Rambo III (1988) roughly $189 million. The franchise's gross more than doubled between its first and second entries, the steepest single-sequel jump on this list. That growth still left its three-film total below Ghostbusters' two-film gross per picture.

Rambo suits viewers who want a gritty Vietnam-veteran action series rather than the lighter tone of Ghostbusters above, with each sequel escalating the body count and budget. It trades comedy's broader audience for a narrower, more violent action crowd, capping out below the higher-ranked franchises despite strong sequel growth. Friday the 13th, ranked next, earned less per film but released far more of them.

9. Friday the 13th Franchise

Friday the 13th ranks ninth on volume rather than per-film size: eight films released between 1980 and 1989 combined for a domestic gross above $200 million despite most budgets staying under $10 million each. The original 1980 film alone returned roughly $39 million domestically on a budget near $550,000, one of the highest ROI figures of any franchise on this list. No other series here released as many films in one decade.

Friday the 13th suits budget-conscious horror fans who want a new entry almost every year rather than the polished, expensive sequels of Rambo above. Its low per-film grosses keep its total near the bottom of this list despite the sheer number of releases. A Nightmare on Elm Street, ranked last, followed the same low-budget annual model with a smaller total film count.

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise

A Nightmare on Elm Street ranks tenth on five films released between 1984 and 1989 with a combined domestic gross near $190 million, smaller than Friday the 13th's eight-film total above. The original 1984 film returned about $25.5 million domestically on a $1.8 million budget, launching New Line Cinema into a major studio. Fewer entries and lower per-film grosses than its slasher rival left it last on this cumulative ranking.

This franchise suits horror fans drawn to a single iconic villain, Freddy Krueger, rather than the interchangeable masked killers of Friday the 13th just above. It trades franchise-wide box office size for a more consistent critical reputation and a signature character that outlasted its box office ranking. Compared to every other entry on this list, it proves cultural impact and cumulative earnings don't always move together.

How we ranked these

This ranking totals worldwide theatrical box office for every entry in a franchise released on or before December 31, 1990, using contemporaneous studio-reported grosses cross-checked against industry databases compiled after the fact. Sequels, direct continuations, and shared-character entries count toward the same franchise; spin-offs built around different core characters do not.

Domestic and international grosses are summed in nominal dollars, then ranked highest to lowest to reflect commercial scale as the industry itself understood it at that specific moment in 1990.

Inflation adjustment, home video and rental income, television licensing, and merchandising were deliberately excluded because reliable per-title breakdowns didn't exist industry-wide in 1990, and blending revenue streams would distort a theatrical-only comparison. Announced but unreleased sequels were excluded even if already in production, since projected earnings aren't earnings. Critical reception and cultural legacy were ignored entirely — this measures box office dollars only, not quality or lasting influence.

Related questions

Which franchise had earned the most worldwide by 1990?

James Bond, with sixteen films dating back to 1962's Dr. No, held the largest cumulative worldwide gross of any franchise by 1990. No single Bond film matched a Star Wars-scale blockbuster, but a steady release roughly every two years for nearly three decades let mid-size hits compound into the largest total in the genre.

How did Star Wars compare despite having only three films?

With just three films — Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) — the original trilogy posted enormous per-film grosses that rivaled franchises with five times as many entries. Its total trailed only the longest-running series like Bond, showing fewer, bigger releases could nearly match decades of sequels.

Did Rocky V hurt or help the franchise's 1990 total?

Rocky V, released in November 1990, underperformed compared to its predecessors and posted the franchise's weakest domestic gross to date. It still added to Rocky's cumulative total across five films since 1976, but its disappointing run signaled fatigue and foreshadowed the long hiatus before Rocky Balboa revived the series in 2006.

Where did Back to the Future rank with only three films?

Back to the Future's trilogy — the original in 1985 and Parts II and III both in 1990 — earned a high total in a short window, but its overall cumulative gross still trailed franchises spanning far more entries and years, since only three films had time to contribute by the December 1990 cutoff.

Why does Friday the 13th appear despite modest per-film grosses?

Friday the 13th released eight low-budget slasher films between 1980 and 1989, each costing little and turning a reliable profit. Individually modest box office numbers added up across that many entries, giving the franchise a respectable cumulative total that outpaced several bigger-budget series with fewer sequels by 1990.

How close was Superman's total to the top franchises?

Superman's four films, released between 1978 and 1987, combined a massive first entry with three progressively smaller sequels. Its cumulative total placed it solidly in the upper half of this ranking, but a steep drop-off after Superman II kept it from challenging Bond or Star Wars for the top spot.

Did Star Trek's six films by 1990 rank higher than expected?

Star Trek's six theatrical films released between 1979 and 1989 built a steady, if unspectacular, box office record. No single entry became a cultural blockbuster, but consistent moderate performance across six releases gave the franchise a cumulative total comparable to series with flashier individual hits but fewer films.

What kept Indiana Jones from reaching the very top by 1990?

With only three films — Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Temple of Doom (1984), and The Last Crusade (1989) — Indiana Jones simply hadn't had enough releases to out-total franchises three or four times its size in entry count, despite each film individually ranking among the era's biggest hits.

FAQ

What counts as a franchise in this ranking?

A franchise is a series of films sharing continuing characters, story continuity, or a direct sequel relationship, marketed and released under a connected title. Anthology series with new characters each installment were excluded unless branded and marketed as a single ongoing franchise, matching how studios and audiences actually understood these series in 1990.

Are the grosses adjusted for inflation?

No. This ranking uses nominal, as-reported dollar totals from the time of each release rather than inflation-adjusted figures. Adjusting for inflation would favor older franchises disproportionately and wasn't how box office success was measured or reported contemporaneously in 1990, so nominal totals better reflect the era's own view of financial performance.

Does this include international box office or just domestic?

Both. Totals combine domestic (US and Canada) and international theatrical grosses wherever reliable figures exist for each release. Some older or smaller international releases have less complete reporting, which can slightly understate true totals for franchises with a heavy overseas presence, especially films released before comprehensive global tracking became standard.

Why isn't Batman (1989) higher on this list?

Batman was a massive single-film hit in 1989, but by the end of 1990 it remained a franchise of one entry with no sequel yet released — Batman Returns didn't arrive until 1992. A single blockbuster, however huge, can't out-total franchises with multiple films compounding earnings over years or decades.

How does home video revenue factor into these totals?

It doesn't. This ranking counts theatrical box office only, since home video, rental, and cable revenue weren't uniformly tracked or reported per title industry-wide in 1990. Including them would mix incompatible data sources and unfairly favor franchises with strong video sell-through over those that performed best specifically in theaters.

Which franchise had the most individual films by 1990?

James Bond led with sixteen theatrical entries since 1962, followed by Friday the 13th with eight and Star Trek with six. That release volume, spread across decades, is the primary reason franchises like Bond can lead a cumulative earnings ranking despite no single film matching the per-movie peaks of Star Wars or Batman.

Do animated or made-for-TV entries count toward a franchise's total?

No. Only theatrically released, feature-length films count toward these totals. Made-for-television movies, direct-to-video releases, and short films were excluded because their revenue models and reporting differ fundamentally from theatrical releases, and including them would make cross-franchise comparisons inconsistent for this specific ranking.

Why do older franchises dominate a 1990 ranking?

Older franchises simply had more time to release entries and accumulate box office before the 1990 cutoff. A franchise starting in 1962 like Bond had nearly three decades of releases compounding, while something newer had only one or two films by comparison — time in the market matters as much as any single film's performance.

Could a newer franchise ever catch up to Bond's total?

In theory, yes, if it released blockbuster-level entries frequently enough, but by 1990 no newer franchise had matched Bond's combination of longevity and consistency. Star Wars came closest on a per-film basis, and later decades would eventually produce franchises capable of surpassing older totals, but not within this 1990 snapshot.

Is this ranking based on ticket sales or dollar totals?

Dollar totals, not adjusted ticket-sale counts. Measuring by raw dollars means later, higher-priced-ticket releases contribute more per admission than earlier ones, which can slightly favor franchises with entries later in the 1980s over those weighted toward earlier decades — a tradeoff accepted for consistency with how box office was actually reported.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_(film_series)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_(film_series)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_(franchise)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_in_film
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_(film_series)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Jones
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(franchise)
• https://www.boxofficemojo.com/

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