Marvel or X-Men, Spider-Man vs. Batman, Star Wars or Harry Potter: which of Hollywood’s 27 biggest movie franchises did the critics like best, according to Metacritic?
Over the past decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has built an expansive roster of films while raising the commercial expectations for ongoing movie series.
Stretching from the first James Bond film, 1962’s Dr. No, to the latest MCU and Star Wars entries, we looked at how each film in Hollywood’s biggest franchises fared on critical rating aggregator Metacritic – and compiled the series average. If you’re still on lockdown and looking for a new cinematic series to binge – this list is made for you.
Many of the franchises that made the cut have more movies on the way. This year alone sees Marvel’s Black Widow, the James Bond movie No Time to Die, and Mission: Impossible 7 arrive after long delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Metacritic only included franchises that had four or more films with scores on its site (so no John Wick, for instance) and it excluded horror films and animated franchises.
Here are the 27 greatest movie franchises of all time, according to critics:
27. Die Hard – 58.4 per cent
Die Hard (1988) – 70 per cent
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) – 67 per cent
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) – 58 per cent
Live Free or Die Hard (2007) – 69 per cent
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) – 28 per cent
26. Alien – 59.5 per cent
Alien (1979) – 83 per cent
Aliens (1986) – 84 per cent
Alien 3 (1992) – 59 per cent
Alien Resurrection (1997) – 63 per cent
Alien vs. Predator (2004) – 29 per cent
Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem (2007) – 29 per cent
Prometheus (2012) – 64 per cent
Alien: Covenant (2017) – 65 per cent
25. Jack Ryan – 59.6 per cent
The Hunt for Red October (1990) – 58 per cent
Patriot Games (1992) – 64 per cent
Clear and Present Danger (1994) – 74 per cent
The Sum of All Fears (2002) – 45 per cent
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) – 57 per cent
24. View Askewniverse – 60 per cent
Clerks (1994) – 70 per cent
Mallrats (1995) – 41 per cent
Chasing Amy (1997) – 71 per cent
Dogma (1999) – 62 per cent
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) – 51 per cent
Clerks II (2006) – 65 per cent
23. Dirty Harry – 60.8 per cent
Dirty Harry (1971) – 90 per cent
Magnum Force (1973) – 58 per cent
The Enforcer (1976) – 58 per cent
Sudden Impact (1983) – 52 per cent
The Dead Pool (1988) – 46 per cent
22. Terminator – 61 per cent
The Terminator (1984) – 84 per cent
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – 75 per cent
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) – 66 per cent
Terminator Salvation (2009) – 49 per cent
Terminator Genisys (2015) – 38 per cent
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) – 54 per cent
21. X-Men – 61.2 per cent
X-Men (2000) – 64 per cent
X2: X-Men United (2003) – 68 per cent
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) – 58 per cent
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) – 40 per cent
X-Men: First Class (2011) – 65 per cent
The Wolverine (2013) – 61 per cent
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) – 75 per cent
Deadpool (2016) – 65 per cent
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) – 52 per cent
Logan (2017) – 77 per cent
Deadpool 2 (2018) – 66 per cent
Dark Phoenix (2019) – 43 per cent
20. Barbershop – 61.3 per cent
Barbershop (2002) – 66 per cent
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) – 59 per cent
Beauty Shop (2005) – 53 per cent
Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016) – 67 per cent
19. Rocky – 61.7 per cent
Rocky (1976) – 70 per cent
Rocky II (1979) – 61 per cent
Rocky III (1982) – 57 per cent
Rocky IV (1985) – 40 per cent
Rocky V (1990) – 55 per cent
Rocky Balboa (2006) – 63 per cent
Creed (2015) – 82 per cent
Creed II (2018) – 66 per cent
18. James Bond – 62.1 per cent
Dr. No (1962) – 78 per cent
From Russia With Love (1963) – 85 per cent
Goldfinger (1964) – 87 per cent
Thunderball (1965) – 64 per cent
Casino Royale (1967) – 48 per cent
You Only Live Twice (1967) – 61 per cent
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – 61 per cent
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – 59 per cent
Live and Let Die (1973) – 55 per cent
The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) – 43 per cent
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – 55 per cent
Moonraker (1979) – 66 per cent
For Your Eyes Only (1981) – 54 per cent
Octopussy (1983) – 63 per cent
Never Say Never Again (1983) – 68 per cent
A View to a Kill (1985) – 40 per cent
The Living Daylights (1987) – 60 per cent
Licence to Kill (1989) – 58 per cent
GoldenEye (1995) – 65 per cent
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – 52 per cent
The World Is Not Enough (1999) – 57 per cent
Die Another Day (2002) – 56 per cent
Casino Royale (2006) – 80 per cent
Quantum of Solace (2008) – 58 per cent
Skyfall (2012) – 81 per cent
Spectre (2015) – 60 per cent
17. Batman – 62.3 per cent
Batman (1966) – 71 per cent
Batman (1989) – 69 per cent
Batman Returns (1992) – 68 per cent
Batman Forever (1995) – 51 per cent
Batman and Robin (1997) – 28 per cent
Batman Begins (2005) – 70 per cent
The Dark Knight (2008) – 82 per cent
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – 78 per cent
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – 44 per cent
16 (tie). Hannibal Lecter – 62.4 per cent
Manhunter (1986) – 75 per cent
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – 85 per cent
Hannibal (2001) – 57 per cent
Red Dragon (2002) – 60 per cent
Hannibal Rising (2007) – 35 per cent
16 (tie). Planet of the Apes – 62.4 per cent
Planet of the Apes (1968) – 79 per cent
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – 46 per cent
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) – 69 per cent
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) – 49 per cent
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) – 40 per cent
Planet of the Apes (2001) – 50 per cent
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) – 68 per cent
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – 79 per cent
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) – 82 per cent
14. Star Trek – 62.5 per cent
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) – 48 per cent
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) – 66 per cent
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) – 56 per cent
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) – 71 per cent
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) – 43 per cent
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) – 65 per cent
Star Trek Generations (1994) – 55 per cent
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) – 71 per cent
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – 64 per cent
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) – 51 per cent
Star Trek (2009) – 82 per cent
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) – 72 per cent
Star Trek Beyond (2016) – 68 per cent
13. Millennium Series – 63.2 per cent
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009) – 76 per cent
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2010) – 66 per cent
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2010) – 60 per cent
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) – 71 per cent
The Girl in the Spider’s Web (2019) – 43 per cent
12. Ocean’s Eleven – 63.8 per cent
Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – 74 per cent
Ocean’s Twelve (2004) – 58 per cent
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) – 62 per cent
Ocean’s 8 (2018) – 61 per cent
11. The Muppets – 62.5 per cent
The Muppet Movie (1979) – 74 per cent
The Great Muppet Caper (1981) – 70 per cent
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) – 64 per cent
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – 64 per cent
Muppet Treasure Island (1996) – 64 per cent
Muppets from Space (1999) – 53 per cent
The Muppets (2011) – 75 per cent
Muppets Most Wanted (2014) – 61 per cent
10 (tie). Spider-Man – 68 per cent
Spider-Man (2002) – 73 per cent
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – 83 per cent
Spider-Man 3 (2007) – 59 per cent
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – 66 per cent
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) – 53 per cent
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – 73 per cent
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) – 69 per cent
10 (tie). Indiana Jones – 68.0 per cent
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – 85 per cent
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) – 57 per cent
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – 65 per cent
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) – 65 per cent
8. Star Wars – 68.1 per cent
Star Wars (1977) – 90 per cent
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – 82 per cent
Return of the Jedi (1983) – 58 per cent
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) – 51 per cent
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) – 54 per cent
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) – 68 per cent
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – 81 per cent
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – 65 per cent
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – 85 per cent
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) – 62 per cent
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – 53 per cent
7. The Hunger Games – 68.3 per cent
The Hunger Games (2012) – 68 per cent
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) – 76 per cent
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) – 64 per cent
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) – 65 per cent
6. Marvel Cinematic Universe – 68.6 per cent
Iron Man (2008) – 79 per cent
The Incredible Hulk (2008) – 61 per cent
Iron Man 2 (2010) – 57 per cent
Thor (2011) – 57 per cent
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – 66 per cent
Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) – 69 per cent
Iron Man 3 (2013) – 62 per cent
Thor: The Dark World (2013) – 54 per cent
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) – 70 per cent
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – 76 per cent
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – 66 per cent
Ant-Man (2015) – 64 per cent
Captain America: Civil War (2016) – 75 per cent
Doctor Strange (2016) – 72 per cent
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) – 67 per cent
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – 73 per cent
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – 74 per cent
Black Panther (2018) – 88 per cent
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – 68 per cent
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) – 70 per cent
Captain Marvel (2019) – 64 per cent
Avengers: Endgame (2019) – 78 per cent
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) – 69 per cent
5. Bourne – 69.0 per cent
The Bourne Identity (2002) – 68 per cent
The Bourne Supremacy (2004) – 73 per cent
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) – 85 per cent
The Bourne Legacy (2012) – 61 per cent
Jason Bourne (2016) – 58 per cent
4. Mission: Impossible – 69.7 per cent
Mission: Impossible (1996) – 59 per cent
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) – 59 per cent
Mission: Impossible III (2006) – 66 per cent
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) – 73 per cent
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) – 75 per cent
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) – 86 per cent
3. Harry Potter – 70.9 per cent
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) – 64 per cent
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) – 63 per cent
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) – 82 per cent
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) – 81 per cent
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) – 71 per cent
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) – 78 per cent
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) – 65 per cent
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) – 87 per cent
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016) – 66 per cent
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) – 52 per cent
2. Middle-earth – 76.0 per cent
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – 92 per cent
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) – 87 per cent
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – 94 per cent
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) – 58 per cent
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) – 66 per cent
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) – 59 per cent
1. Mad Max – 77.8 per cent
Mad Max (1979) – 73 per cent
The Road Warrior (1981) – 77 per cent
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) – 71 per cent
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – 90 per cent
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This article originally appeared on Business Insider
- Bourne, Bond, Die Hard and Mission: Impossible battle for the top spot – still on lockdown and looking for a new film series to binge? This list is just for you
- Much-loved fantasy and sci-fi series like Aliens, Terminator and Middle-earth make the cut – but which get a higher rating than the Marvel Cinematic Universe?