
Stars of 20 Iconic Movie Franchises When the First Movie Premiered vs. the Last
When it comes to movie franchises, most people think of the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, or perhaps the still-enchanting Harry Potter series. These days, franchises comprise most ticket sales at American movie theaters, but the movie franchise is hardly a new phenomenon.
Franchises, which include movie series that share titles, characters, and/or a fictional universe, have been around since the dawn of cinema. Take the 1931 hit Frankenstein, for instance. Universal Pictures' early horror flick spawned The Bride of Frankenstein, The Son of Frankenstein, The Ghost of Frankenstein, and several other Frankenstein pics over more than a decade.
The origins of successful franchises vary widely. Some film series stemmed from a single, unexpected hit, like The Terminator. Other franchises made it big based on their characters or fascinating storylines. Then there are franchises that rely on the strength of their preexisting intellectual property (looking at you, Marvel).
No matter what led to a franchise's success, chances are the films had the support of a strong, dare we say legendary, cast. These actors banded together to put their respective movies on the map, and while many casts have changed significantly over the years, certain central actors still return to the screen time and again to reprise their older roles.
To celebrate these stars, Stacker combed through cinematic history to find photos of the casts of 20 popular movie franchises, then compared images from the original movie premieres to photos from the most recent release. Read on to find out where your favorite film franchises started, and learn how the years have impacted these hit series.
Stars of Movie Franchises From First Movie Premiere to Last
Gallery Credit: Cu Fleshman
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