What Are the Best-Known Movie Franchises in the U.S.?

May 4 has been celebrated as Star Wars Day by fans of the entertainment franchise since 2011, with the first recorded mention of the pun on the classic phrase "May the Force be with you" dating back to the 1970s according to starwars.com. While the movies and TV shows centered around the battle between the light and dark side of the magical power known as the Force and the adventures of the Skywalker family, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi or Rey are almost universally known among consumers in the United States, many entertainment franchises are more popular.

As Statista's Consumer Insights show, the Batman franchise is the best-known and most-liked out of 20 franchises in the corresponding questionnaire. 43 percent of U.S. respondents say they like the movie universe, which began in 1943 and had its last entry with the titular DC Comics superhero as the main protagonist in 2022, while 92 percent know the franchise, at least by name. Other superhero franchises also feature prominently in the top 8, with two entries from main competitor Marvel, Spider-Man and Iron Man, also making the cut.

Star Wars comes in fourth in terms of awareness (89 percent), while only 34 percent of respondents like the franchise, placing it twelfth out of 20. The reasons for this discrepancy are not readily apparent. However, one of the latest main movie entries, The Last Jedi from 2017, earned criticism from many long-time fans due to, for example, its treatment of the original trilogy's hero Luke Skywalker. This and other criticisms might have contributed to the ratio of awareness and popularity of the long-running series.

From its beginning in 1971 up until 2012, Lucasfilm, the production company founded by George Lucas responsible for the Star Wars and Indiana jones franchises, managed to stay independent. In 2012, Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion - an investment it, on paper, already managed to recoup with the box office performances of the five Star Wars movies released since the acquisition.