The film business is not much different from investing. We see potential in gold, bonds, shares, and real estate; filmmakers see it in their movies’ box office prospects. The higher the returns, the higher the investment. That’s pretty much the fundamental idea behind why and how a standalone movie sparks a franchise.
Whereas some movies are conceived with shrewd foresight and their franchise potential already in mind, others aren’t born with that prophetic intuition. A chance stumble into outstanding audience support and love refuses to let them stay small, and they become bigger than just a movie; they become a universe.
We are going to look at 10 such films that started as contained, stand-alone movies, but managed to catch lightning in a bottle.
10 Movies That Spawned Franchises
1. Star Wars (1977)
Written & Directed by: George Lucas
In an alternate universe, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is a simple farm boy on the planet Tatooine. He comes across droids from another planet and, through a holographic message, learns of an intergalactic rebellion that’s underway. He joins forces with Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to find hope for a galaxy in trouble.
With the vast expanse of the movie’s bold and unique worldbuilding, coupled with a simple hero’s epic journey, George Lucas was aware that Star Wars was brimming with franchise potential. So, he took the chance and acquired the merchandising rights for the movie before it hit theaters. The movie’s phenomenal success convinced the studio that this idea was a gold mine. To date, it has shown no indication of slowing down.
2. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Written by: Lawrence Kasdan | Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Today, we know Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as a legend, but Raiders of the Lost Ark was where it originated. The movie introduced him as an adventurer who races against the Nazis to secure the Ark of the Covenant, which holds potent mythical powers. While doing so, he comes across snakes, traps, riddles, and rivals. The movie was deemed to have fast action (for its time,) which left little room to breathe.
The instantly likable hero, his globe-trotting energy, mystical adventures, and just a dash of the paranormal made this movie unavoidable. Its tone, scale, inventive art direction, and the iconic theme track built a perfect foundation for an action-adventure series.
3. The Terminator (1984)
Written by: James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd | Directed by: James Cameron
Sarah Connor’s (Linda Hamilton) unborn son is prophesied to save mankind from extinction as planned by an evil AI, called Skynet. So, Skynet sends a murderous cyborg, called the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), from the future to kill her. As the Terminator pursues her, Reese (Michael Biehn), her protector, shares with her the truth.
The story was already packing a multiple-movie worth of plotline. The film’s tight pace and the exhilarating mix of thriller and sci-fi created even bigger room for it to grow. Its themes of time-travel, futuristic technology, and the good old fate were practically baits for the producers to jump at it for deeper exploration.
4. Die Hard (1988)
Written by: Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza | Directed by: John McTiernan
An NYPD detective, John McClane (Bruce Willis), travels to Los Angeles to attend a party where he intends to resolve acrimony with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). Coincidentally, the high-rise tower where the party is happening is taken hostage by a terrorist, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). He tackles the perilous situation with sheer courage, luck, and a badass attitude.
Die Hard, upon its release, turned out to be quite a revelation. It was an out-and-out action movie, but with a rarely seen (until then) blend of humor, cinematic tension, and action sequences that were thrilling yet grounded. The formula was so magnetic that not only did Die Hard become a franchise, it also inspired many other copies.
5. Scream (1996)
Written by: Kevin Williamson | Directed by: Wes Craven
Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) becomes the target of a masked killer, who repurposes horror movie clichés in real life. Her friends try to help, but the killer keeps improvising.
Scream not only revitalized the barely explored horror-comedy genre, but unexpectedly added a new dynamic to it: meta-humor. Mixed with cleverly embedded suspense and its deliberate parody of horror tropes, the movie proved that there was immense scare-potential in being self-aware. The possibilities seemed immense, and sequels just the natural next step.
6. The Matrix (1999)
Written & Directed by: Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), or as known in the hacking circles as Neo, is a computer programmer who is made aware of something he could never have imagined: the reality is a simulation, called the Matrix, created and controlled by machines. He teams up with Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) to escape the Matrix and achieve complete freedom.
The movie pivoted from the beaten action-movie path and explored unique worldbuilding, coupled with deeply philosophical ideas. The result was unlimited narrative scope. Despite its fantastical nature, the movie made sense, yet created a lot of questions that the audience was eager to have answers to. They didn’t only want explanations, they also wanted expansions and deeper layers to the concepts they had already understood. The red-carpet welcome to the sequels was anything but surprising.
7. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Written by: Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer | Directed by: Rob Cohen
– YouTube
A semi-truck trailer carrying electronic goods is hijacked and goes missing. Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), an LAPD officer, suspects Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel), a street racer with a bad reputation, as the perpetrator. He goes undercover to investigate, but an unexpected friendship complicates things.
Released only as a street-racing action drama, the audience (and the filmmakers) quickly realized its nitro-fueled capacity for endless entertainment. The plans to make a sequel arose while the first movie was still running in theaters. With its every new sequel, the producers leaned more and more into its characters, their heists, and increasingly wide-spanning global adventures, making it one of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time.
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Written by: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio | Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith, reluctantly joins hands with an eccentric and unreliable pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), to rescue his lady love, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), from the fabled pirate crew who are cursed to be undead.
Aside from the lively mix of sea battles and supernatural chaos, Depp’s Jack Sparrow was an absolutely pleasant and funny surprise that came out of The Curse of the Black Pearl. It brought back the pirate genre with the promise of a universe full of lore and adventure. At the box office, the audience made no secret of their desire to see this story expand further. And expand is what the producers did.
9. The Conjuring (2013)
Written by: Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes | Directed by: James Wan
Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), famed demonologists, investigate the dark presence haunting a family’s house. Their restrained attitude only accentuates the menacing nature of the danger that lurks inside.
The movie’s grounded, character-driven approach set The Conjuring apart from other haunted-house movies. Its focus on tension and atmosphere, rather than on gore and CGI, helped the film build a compelling universe. Also, its clean pacing, insidiously blood-curdling ambiance, and “case file” style approach created a strong foundation for the sequels and spin-offs. I
10. John Wick (2014)
Written by: Derek Kolstad | Directed by: Chad Stahelski
– YouTube
When thugs steal his prized car, and more importantly kill the puppy his late loving wife left him, a retired and grieving hitman, John Wick (Keanu Reeves), is forced to seek out vengeance against a hidden network of killers.
What could have been just another revenge drama, John Wick emerged as a riveting discovery because of its clean choreography, innovative action sequences, and almost mythical world. With its sharp, distinct identity, the film quickly captured a legendary status, prompting the audience to demand more of its underworld rules and rituals. Since its release, the film has turned into one of the best-known action film franchises ever made.