Hollywood franchises made an outsized contribution to the box office totals for 2025, with nine of the ten highest-grossing domestic releases linked to an existing franchise. This is a long-established pattern that goes back to the 2010’s, when only one or two films out of the top ten in a year were original. However, this dominance of franchises belies the fact that these sequels and spinoffs have been less reliable performers in the post-pandemic era.
In 2025, franchise films such as the third AVATAR (FIRE AND ASH), the second WICKED (FOR GOOD), and all three MCU movies released during the year (CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, THUNDERBOLTS*, and THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS) were less successful than their predecessors. Analysts point to a decline in quality (WICKED and MCU) and innovation (AVATAR).
Studios have a tough needle to thread, creating a film with characters and storylines that audiences will recognize without making them so familiar that it comes off as stale. One example of a well-executed franchise movie is DUNE, which benefited from a significant increase in box office for the second movie in the series (DUNE: PART 2) compared to the first DUNE. Many reviewers commented that DUNE: PART 2 featured an even more interesting story with more technical innovations. So, whole-franchise movies are just as important as they always have been; their success seems to have become less of a guarantee.
