WAlien vs. Predator is a science-fiction/action/horror media franchise. The series is a crossover between, and part of the larger the Alien and Predator franchises, depicting the two species as being in conflict with one another. It began as a comic book series in 1989, before being adapted into a video game series in the 1990s. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film series began with Alien vs. Predator (2004), directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and was followed by Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), directed by the Brothers Strause, and the development of a third film has been delayed indefinitely. The series has led to numerous novels, comics, and video game spin-offs such as Aliens vs. Predator released in 2010.
WBeverly Hills Cop is a movie franchise of American action comedy films and an unaired television pilot based on characters created by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Danilo Bach. The films star Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop who travels to Beverly Hills, California to investigate a crime, even though it is out of his jurisdiction. There, he meets Detective Billy Rosewood, Sergeant John Taggart, and Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil. Ashton and Cox do not appear in Beverly Hills Cop III. Murphy, Reinhold, and Gil Hill, who plays Axel's boss, Inspector Todd, are the only actors who appear in all three films. Harold Faltermeyer produced the now famous "Axel F" theme song heard throughout the series. The series as a whole have been distributed by Paramount Pictures. The films have grossed a total of $712 million at the worldwide box office.
WBlade is a film and television franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics dhampiric vampire hunter of the same name, portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the original trilogy, Sticky Fingaz in the television series, and Mahershala Ali in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The original trilogy was directed by Stephen Norrington, Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer, the latter of whom also wrote the films and served as a co-writer for the first and last two episodes of the television series. The original films and television series distributed by New Line Cinema from 1998–2006; from 2021, the series was rebooted within the continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), instalments of which are produced and distributed by Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.
WChander Pahar is an Indian Bengali language franchise consisting of novels, graphic novels and a film series. The original work is a 1937 novel named Chander Pahar, written by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. It was translated to English in 2002 by Santanu Sinha Choudhuri and Pradeep Kumar Sinha, published by Orient Blackswan. The English version of the novel was titled Mountain of the Moon. Bandyopadhyay’s story was adapted into a Graphic novel and a live-action film in 2013. A sequel to the 2013 film Amazon Obhijaan, written by the director of the first film Kamaleswar Mukherjee, is released in Christmas 2017.
WCharlie's Angels is an American media franchise created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which began with the original television series of the same name. The franchise follow the adventures of the Angels, a team of women working for the Townsend Agency, a private secret agent agency, under the leadership of Charlie Townsend, their unseen boss.
WDhoom is an Indian Hindi-language action thriller film franchise. The films revolve around ACP Jai Dixit, an Assistant Commissioner of Police and his sidekick Ali Akbar Fateh Khan, who attempt to capture wanted, professional thieves. In an ode to common practice, the plot is often heavily influenced by the antagonist. It is the second largest Bollywood film franchise in terms of box-office revenue.
WDon is an Indian media franchise, centered on Don, a fictional Indian underworld boss. The franchise originates from the 1978 Hindi-language action thriller film Don. In 2006, a remake series began, with the release of Don: The Chase Begins Again. Its sequel was released in 2011, entitled Don 2. It has also been expanded to comics and video games.
WEvil Dead is an American supernatural horror film franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of four feature films and a television series. The series revolves around the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, an ancient Sumerian text which wreaks havoc upon a group of cabin inhabitants in a wooded area in Tennessee.
WThe Expendables is an American ensemble action thriller franchise spanning a film series, written by Sylvester Stallone and based on characters created by David Callaham, and additional media. The films star an ensemble cast, most notably Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Statham. The film series itself was created to pay homage to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and 1990s, and also pays tribute to the action stars of those decades, as well as more recent stars in action. The series consists of three films: The Expendables (2010), The Expendables 2 (2012) and The Expendables 3 (2014), with a fourth film scheduled to be released in the future. The series has received mixed critical reception, in regard to its plots and dialogue between the characters; however, many critics praised the use of humor and action scenes. The films have been box office successes.
WFrom Dusk till Dawn is an American media franchise created by Robert Kurtzman, including three films, a video game and a TV series.
WThe Godzilla franchise is a Japanese media franchise created and owned by Toho Co., Ltd, centered on the fictional kaiju character Godzilla. It is the longest-running film franchise, having been in ongoing production from 1954, with several hiatuses of varying lengths. The film franchise consists of 36 films; 32 produced by Toho, one produced by TriStar Pictures, and three produced by Legendary Pictures.
WHighlander is a British film and television franchise created by Gregory Widen. The series began with a 1986 fantasy film starring Christopher Lambert, who played Connor MacLeod, the titular Highlander. Born in Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century, MacLeod is one of a number of immortals empowered by an energy called the Quickening and only able to die if beheaded. On television, Highlander: The Series aired for six seasons from 1992–1998, starring Adrian Paul as Connor's kinsman Duncan MacLeod, another immortal Highlander born decades later. Recurring characters in the series included the immortal thief Amanda and oldest immortal Methos who each had spin-off shows, Highlander: The Raven and The Methos Chronicles respectively, which each lasted one season.
WJaws is an American natural horror film series that started with a 1975 film that expanded into three sequels, a theme park ride, and other tie-in merchandise, based on a 1974 novel. The main subject of the saga is a great white shark, and its attacks on people in specific areas of the United States and The Bahamas. The Brody family is featured in all of the films as the primary antithesis to the shark. The original film was based on a novel written by Peter Benchley, which itself was inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. Benchley adapted his novel, along with help from Carl Gottlieb and Howard Sackler, into the 1975 film Jaws, which was directed by Steven Spielberg. Although Gottlieb went on to pen two of the three sequels, neither Benchley nor Spielberg returned to the film series in any capacity.
WHit-Girl & Kick-Ass is a British-American media franchise based on the adventures of real life superheroes of the same name. It began in 2008 with the Marvel comic Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years, with two stand-alone sequel series, Kick-Ass: The New Girl and Hit-Girl, following in 2018, and a crossover series, Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl, following in 2020. The comic series were created by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr..
WKingsman is a British-American film franchise, consisting of action-comedy films, that follow the missions of the Kingsman, a fictional secret service organization. Based on the comic book series of the same name created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, a 2012 Marvel Comics release, the film franchise debut has garnered success both financially and critically.
WMad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with Mad Max, and was followed by three sequels: Mad Max 2, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015); Miller directed or co-directed all four films. Mel Gibson starred in the first three films and Tom Hardy took over as Max in the fourth film.
WThe Matrix is an American media franchise created by writers-directors the Wachowskis and producer Joel Silver. The series consists of four, beginning with The Matrix (1999) and continuing with three sequels, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Resurrections (2021). The films are written and directed by the Wachowskis and produced by Joel Silver. The franchise is owned by Warner Bros., which distributed the films along with Village Roadshow Pictures. The latter, along with Silver Pictures, are the two production companies that worked on the first three films.
WThe MonsterVerse is an American multimedia franchise and shared fictional universe that is centered on a series of monster films featuring Godzilla and King Kong, produced by Legendary Entertainment and co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The first installment was Godzilla (2014), a reboot of the Godzilla franchise, which was followed by Kong: Skull Island (2017), a reboot of the King Kong franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). The franchise received generally positive reception and has been commercially successful with a combined gross of $1.950 billion worldwide.
WPlanet of the Apes is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on French author Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel La Planète des singes, translated into English as Planet of the Apes or Monkey Planet. Its 1968 film adaptation, Planet of the Apes, was a critical and commercial hit, initiating a series of sequels, tie-ins, and derivative works. Arthur P. Jacobs produced the first five Apes films through APJAC Productions for distributor 20th Century Fox; since his death in 1973, Fox has controlled the franchise until Disney acquired the franchise in 2019.
WPredator is a science fiction action horror anthology media franchise centered on the film series depicting humankind's encounters with a race of extraterrestrial trophy-seeking military personnel known as the "Predator". Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the series began with Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan, and was followed by three sequels, Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), and The Predator (2018), directed by Stephen Hopkins, Nimród Antal, and Shane Black, respectively. The series has led to numerous novels, comics, and video game spin-offs such as Predator: Concrete Jungle (2005) and Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020), both of which received generally mixed reviews. The Alien vs. Predator series combines the continuities of the Alien franchise with the Predator franchise and consists of two films as well as varying series of comics, books, and video games.
WThe Rush Hour franchise is a series of American action comedy films created by Ross LaManna and directed by Brett Ratner. All three films center around a pair of police detectives, Chief Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter, who go on their series of misadventures involving corrupt crime figures in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The films incorporate elements of martial arts, humor, and the buddy cop subgenre. The films were released theatrically from 1998 to 2007, attaining commercial success; critical reception was mixed.
WThe Shaft franchise is composed of action-crime films and a television series, centered on a family of African-American police detectives all sharing the name John Shaft, who over the course of the films have altercations with a variety of crime. The first three films are characterized by their blaxploitation characteristics, while the fourth installment is a crime thriller. The fifth entry, however, is a satirical buddy-cop comedy.
WSpy Kids is an American spy action comedy adventure family film series created by Robert Rodriguez. The main series follows the adventures of Carmen and Juni Cortez, two children who become involved in their parents' espionage. The films tend to have a strong Latino theme, as Rodriguez is of Mexican descent.
WStar Wars is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe. In 2020, its total value was estimated at US$70 billion, and it is currently the fifth-highest-grossing media franchise of all time.
WStarship Troopers is an American military science fiction media franchise based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein and the satirical 1997 film adaptation by screenwriter Edward Neumeier and director Paul Verhoeven.
WTaken is a series of English-language French action films, beginning with Taken in 2008, created by producer Luc Besson and American screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen. The dialogue of all three films is primarily English, and all three feature Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills. The first film received mixed reviews from critics but a positive response from audiences with commercial success, the series grossed a combined $929,451,015 worldwide.
WTransporter is a French action thriller film franchise, comprising four films released between 2002 and 2015, and a television series. Jason Statham plays Frank Martin in the first three movies, a professional freelance courier driver for hire. Statham is an accomplished martial artist, allowing him to do all the combat scenes involving Frank Martin himself. This permits the films' signature Hong Kong-style fight scenes, choreographed by Corey Yuen. Chris Vance portrays Frank Martin in the sequel television series and Ed Skrein portrays Frank Martin in the fourth film, a reboot.