BY SACNILK

Mumbai, August 7 - The global box office has witnessed several iconic film franchises entertaining audiences for decades, but only a handful have managed to generate tens of billions of dollars at the worldwide box office. From superhero epics and space operas to fantasy adventures and spy thrillers, these franchises have shaped modern cinema while consistently delivering blockbuster numbers at the box office. Here are the top 5 highest-grossing film franchises in the world. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) 1. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – $33.40+ Billion The Marvel Cinematic Universe stands alone at the top, boasting a cumulative box office total that nearly triples its closest competitor across 39 films so far. Initiated by Marvel Studios in 2008 with Iron Man, the MCU revolutionised Hollywood by pioneering the serialised, interconnected "shared universe" model on a massive scale. Spanning dozens of films across multiple storytelling "Phases," the franchise relies on cross-character momentum. Solo films build the cruiocity, which is then cashed in during massive crossover spectacles. The pinnacle of this strategy, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, pulled in a staggering $2.79 billion, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. 2. Spider-Man – $12.20+ Billion While Spider-Man is a Marvel character, his film rights history makes this a distinct and phenomenally lucrative standalone franchise. This multi-generation tally includes the foundational 2000s Tobey Maguire trilogy, Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man duology, Tom Holland's trilogy (co-produced by Sony and Marvel Studios), and the Oscar-winning animated Spider-Verse series. The web-slinger's enduring popularity was put on full display with 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which generated $1.92 billion globally as the highest-grossing Spider-Man movie (so far), anchoring the web-slinger firmly in the number two spot. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) 3. Star Wars – $10.70+ Billion When George Lucas launched a space-fantasy epic in 1977, few could have predicted it would evolve into a cultural phenomenon. The Star Wars franchise is unique because its revenue is spread across generations, encompassing the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, the Disney-produced Sequel Trilogy, and standalone anthology pieces like Rogue One. The franchise's highest financial peak arrived in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which grossed $2.07 billion worldwide, proving the timeless, cross-generational pull of the Skywalker legacy. 4. The Wizarding World (Harry Potter) – $9.65+ Billion J.K. Rowling's literary phenomenon smoothly transitioned into a box office juggernaut starting in 2001. The core eight-film Harry Potter series captured the hearts of an entire generation, growing in tone, complexity, and financial power as its young actors grew up on screen. The franchise concluded its main arc flawlessly with 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which hauled in $1.34 billion. The universe has since expanded via the Fantastic Beasts prequel spin-offs, maintaining its rank as the premier fantasy franchise in film history. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) 5. James Bond – $7.80+ Billion The legendary British MI6 secret agent holds the ultimate crown for franchise endurance. Spanning over six decades and 25 official films produced by Eon Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 007 has continually reinvented himself to stay relevant across generations. From Sean Connery's suave beginnings in the 1960s to Roger Moore's playful 1970s blockbusters, James Bond laid the structural foundation for modern action cinema. The modern Daniel Craig era supercharged the franchise's financial footprint. This grittier, serialised reboot produced the franchise's biggest financial peak with 2012's Skyfall, which remains the only Bond film to breach the billion-dollar mark at $1.11 billion globally. (Data via Culture Crave/X)

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, November 4 - Warner Bros. Discovery under the new CEO David Zaslav seems to be in action mode and is looking to find ways to revive its most loved film franchises, and one of them is Harry Potter film series. ## David Zaslav said during an investor's call Thursday that the company is going to focus more on the franchise and he is keen to exploit the possibility of reviving the "Harry Potter" franchise if something can be worked out with author J.K. Rowling along with "Superman" movie which is already in development with Henry Cavill returning to play this iconic DC role. ## "We haven't had a Superman movie in 13 years. We haven't done a Harry Potter in 15 years. The DC movies and the Harry Potter movies provided a lot of the profits for Warner Bros. ... over the past 25 years", Zaslav said according to The Hollywood Reporter.## He went on to note Warner Bros. still has the theatrical rights to "Lord of the Rings", and went back around to the idea of more Harry Potter, noting he'd like to see more. "If we can do something with J.K. on Harry Potter going forward", he added.## Warner Bros. has released 8 Harry Potter films from 2001-2011 and those movies grossed over $7.7 billion at the global box office, making it one of the highest-grossing film franchises. The studio partnered with Rowling on the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise and has released three films so far out of its planned 5-films in the franchise.## There is a lot of work yet to be done to revive the "Harry Potter" series but this is surely great news for the fans who have been loyal to the franchise. It is the Harry Potter franchise that made Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson popular stars along with Rupert Grint. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, August 28 - Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was surprisingly missing on the occasion of Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts earlier this year at HBO Max. Rowling has finally revealed why she missed the special reunion, and it was simply because it was not something she wanted to do. ## "I was asked to be on that and I decided I didn't want to do it", she told host Graham Norton during an appearance on his Virgin Radio UK show and clarifying she was not excluded from the reunion (according to Deadline). ## She added, "I thought it was about the films more than the book, quite rightly, that was what the anniversary was about. No one said don't [do it]... I was asked to do it and I decided not to".## The "Harry Potter" HBO Max special premiered on January 1, 2022, and it featured all of the key members that made the Harry Potter movies a massive success over the years. ## It was speculated that Rowling skipped the HBO Max special over her rumored spat with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. Rowling has received a lot of backlash over her views on transgender women, and among the critics of her views are Radcliffe and Watson who opposed Rowling's views and made public statements against them. ## Despite receiving a lot of criticism, the British author has not backed down from her views and has even doubled down on them writing an essay about her stance but denying that she's transphobic.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

London, August 14 - British author, JK Rowling, best known for the fantasy book series "Harry Potter", has received a death threat on Twitter after she condemned the attack on author Salman Rushdie at a literary event at the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York. ## Salman Rushdie, who faced death threats for years after writing "The Satanic Verses", was stabbed by a 24-year-old New Jersey resident identified as Hadi Matar (according to NDTV), the US national of Lebanese origin, on stage on Friday. ## JK Rowling condemned this attack and tweeted expressing horror at the attempt on 75-year-old Rushdie's life. "Horrifying news. Feeling very sick right now. Let him be ok", she had posted.## A user commented on this post, saying "Don't worry you are next." He had previously described Matar as a "revolutionary Shia fighter".## Ms. Rowling on Saturday shared the screenshot of this comment and asked Twitter to take cognizance, tagging @TwitterSupport, "Any chance of some support?" She later confirmed that the police were now involved. "To all sending supportive messages: thank you. Police are involved (were already involved on other threats)", Ms. Rowling wrote.## To all sending supportive messages: thank you 💕 Police are involved (were already involved on other threats).— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 13, 2022 ## Warner Bros. Discovery, which backed the "Harry Potter" film franchise under Warner Bros. Pictures, in a statement to Deadline, condemned the threats against Rowling.## "Warner Bros. Discovery strongly condemns the threats made against JK Rowling. We stand with her and all the authors, storytellers, and creators who bravely express their creativity and opinions. WBD believes in freedom of expression, peaceful discourse, and supporting those who offer their views in the public arena.## "Our thoughts are with Sir Salman Rushdie and his family following the senseless act of violence in New York. The company strongly condemns any form of threat, violence or intimidation when opinions, beliefs, and thoughts might differ," the corporation in the statement.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, Jan 1 (IANS) Actress Emma Watson, who played the part of Hermione Granger in the 'Harry Potter' films, once considered leaving the franchise, reports Entertainment Weekly. ## Emma with her co-stars from the franchise appeared on 'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts' special, where she opened up about going through a stressful time. ## Emma said, "I did find a diary entry that was kind of like. I could see that at times I was lonely." Later in the special, she mentions, "The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way." ## Director David Yates said that when he came on to direct the remaining Harry Potter films starting with 2007's 'Order of the Phoenix', producer David Heyman and Warner Bros told him, "Emma is not sure she wants to come back to do another Potter." ## Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the film franchise said, "People definitely forget what she took on and how gracefully she did it. Dan (Radcliffe) and Rupert (Grint), had each other. I had my cronies, whereas Emma was not only younger, she was by herself." ## However, nobody had to convince her to stick with the franchise till the end as Emma said, "The fans genuinely wanted me to succeed and all genuinely have each other's backs." ##

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, September 22: The third installment in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter spinoff "Fantastic Beasts" has been titled "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" and also set a release date of April 15, 2022.## The previous "Fantastic Beasts" film "The Crimes of Grindelwald" performed brilliantly at the box office and the expectations will be higher from the next film in this fantasy film series directed by David Yates. The new "Fantastic Beasts" film will revolve around Albus Dumbledore, a famous Harry Potter figure that many original Potter fans will always line up to see more of.## Things will be a little bit different in Fantastic Beasts 3 on the casting front as Johnny Depp who was a part of the franchise's second film is no longer a part of the third film. Mads Mikkelsen will step in for Johnny Depp in this entry. Depp was originally a part of the film but was dropped after he lost his libel case against The Sun tabloid over a 2018 article alleging he was a "wife-beater".## With respect to Depp's departure, Warner Bros. issued this statement last year which read, "Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date. Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production, and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. The film will debut in theaters worldwide in the summer of 2022".## Warner Bros. had earlier scheduled "Fantastic Beasts 3" for July 15, 2022 release but now moved it up on April 15. Unlike Warner Bros.' day and date release on HBO Max for its 2021 slate, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" will be an exclusive theatrical release, as the studio has already confirmed it.## An American and British co-production, "The Secrets of Dumbledore" stars an ensemble cast including Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Jessica Williams, Jude Law, and Mads Mikkelsen.## Stay tuned...