Nowadays, it feels like every new Hollywood movie is either a sequel, a prequel, a reboot, or a spin-off of something that already exists. So, I wanted to show some love to the movies that actually started those giant franchises in the first place. These movies brought fresh ideas and exciting new worlds that grabbed audiences right away. One hit led to another, and suddenly these films became giant pop culture icons.
It is important to note that we’re only focusing on original films here. That means no Iron Man or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Even though they kicked off some of the biggest franchises of our generation, they were based on comics or novels that had pre-existing fan bases.
10
‘Alien’ (1979)
Sigourney Weaver as Lieut. Ellen Ripley aboard a spacecraft in the science-fiction–horror film Alien.Image via 20th Century Studios
The Xenomorph was such a terrifying alien design, and part of what made it so scary was that you knew absolutely nothing about how it worked. When the Facehugger fell off Kane (John Hurt), you thought the danger was over, then the Chestburster exploded out of him with zero warning. You assume it’s a small creature they’re dealing with. A few scenes later, it has grown into a six-foot-tall killing machine. You thought it was a mindless creature, then it used smart tactics to kill. You thought killing it would save the crew, but then you find out it’s got acid blood that can burn through the ship and make things worse.
The film became a massive hit and has led to eight sequels so far, including the original four movies, the two prequels that explored the creature’s origins, and even two crossover movies with the Predator franchise. The franchise recently came roaring back with the legacy sequel Alien: Romulus, as well as a show called Alien: Earth that explored the idea of a Xenomorph landing on our planet. Moreover, a synthetic created by Weyland Yutani is confirmed to appear in Predator: Badlands, which definitely feels like a tease for another Alien vs. Predator down the line.
9
‘The Terminator’ (1984)
The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) shirtless and looking serious in ‘The Terminator’ (1984).Image via Orion Pictures
The first Terminator film delivered a huge and ambitious idea that already felt like the start of a major franchise. A powerful AI sends a killer robot back in time to murder the mother of the future human resistance leader so it can prevent its own defeat. That concept was way ahead of its time and feels even more relevant today. Arnold Schwarzenegger became an instant icon as the unstoppable villain, so once the movie became a hit, a sequel was guaranteed.
Terminator 2 brought back Schwarzenegger as a hero, and it turned out to be an even bigger success. The franchise has since grown into six movies, plus a 2008 TV show called The Sarah Connor Chronicles that continued the story after Terminator 2. The Terminator brand has also expanded into comic books, video games, and even an anime series called Terminator Zero. Apart from Terminator games, the T-800 also keeps popping up in other popular titles like Mortal Kombat, Fortnite, Call of Duty, and WWE, which proves how much the franchise has stayed alive in pop culture.
8
‘Saw’ (2004)
Adam played by Leigh Whannell and Dr Gordon played by Cary Elwes in Saw (2004)Images via Lions Gate Films
Saw was made on a tiny budget of $1.2 million, but the setup was so clever and intriguing that it grabbed you right away. Two strangers wake up chained inside a filthy bathroom and realize they have to take part in a series of grisly games if they want to survive. It introduced Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) as one of cinema’s smartest and most sadistic villains, and his creepy puppet became a horror icon overnight. And then, the final twist, coupled with that chilling score, blew everyone away and turned Saw into a massive horror hit that made more than $103 million worldwide.
That strong start led to a giant franchise. Each sequel introduced new traps and bigger twists. The Saw series has now reached nine main entries, along with a spinoff called Spiral, which focused on a new killer in the same universe. What makes it even more impressive is that the story has continued for years without a reboot. It has become one of horror’s longest-running worlds, all from one small but original idea.
7
‘John Wick’ (2014)
Keanu Reeves as the title character holding his gun in the first ‘John Wick’ (2014).Image via Lionsgate
When John Wick came out, people thought it would be just another generic action movie. That changed fast once the gunfights started. Every single fight felt like the best close-quarters shootout ever filmed. The movie also introduced a stylish criminal underworld with its own rules, hotel chains, currency, and even tactical tailors. Every assassin had personality and swagger, and it felt like each one could lead their own movie.
The first film’s success opened the door for three more entries, and each sequel has earned more praise than the one before, which almost never happens in Hollywood. The John Wick world has also expanded with spinoffs. Ballerina centers on Eve (Ana de Armas), who was taken in by the same organization that trained John Wick (Keanu Reeves). There is also The Continental, a prequel series about the history of the hotel that acts as a neutral space for all assassins. More spinoff projects are also in development, including a movie about Caine (Donnie Yen) from Chapter 4 and an animated prequel about John’s famous “Impossible Task.”
6
‘Halloween’ (1978)
Michael Myers, looking down from the stairs balcony, holding a knife in Halloween (1978).Image via Compass International Pictures/Aquarius Releasing
Halloween might be the most confusing franchise ever, just because of how many reboots, remakes, and retcons it has gone through. The 1978 original gave us pure evil in the form of Michael Myers (Nick Castle), a boy who murdered his sister and then returned 15 years later to terrorize teenagers in Haddonfield on Halloween night. His blank white mask, the chilling piano theme John Carpenter composed himself, and the eerie question of whether he was even human turned the movie into a perfect nightmare. Halloween wasn’t the first slasher, but it was the one that really broke into the mainstream and became the blueprint that so many horror films copied throughout the 80s.
Since then, the franchise has grown into a big, messy family tree of timelines. The original continuity continued with Halloween II, 4, 5, and The Curse of Michael Myers. Then, Halloween H20 erased everything after Halloween II so Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) could return. Rob Zombie tried a full remake in the late 2000s, which focused more on Myers’ childhood and psychology. After that, Blumhouse pressed the reset button again with the 2018 Halloween, which ignored everything except the original and kicked off a new trilogy that wrapped up with Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. On top of all that, there have been novels, comics, and plenty of video games over the years. A brand-new game is also coming in September 2026 that will let players take control of Myers and hunt down the people of Haddonfield.
5
‘Madagascar’ (2005)
Melvin, Marty, Alex, and Gloria from MadagascarImage via DreamWorks Pictures
The concept of pampered zoo animals suddenly having to survive in the wild was already intriguing, but it was the characters and the humor that made Madagascar so iconic. You had the penguins acting like a top-secret military squad, the monkeys causing chaos, King Julien being completely unhinged, and Mort with his bizarre obsession with Julien’s feet. All of that craziness clashing with the more normal personalities of Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman created comedy gold.
The sequels sent the crew on bigger adventures as they tried to get back to New York. The second movie took them to Kenya, and the third had them traveling across Europe with a circus. The penguins and King Julien became such fan favorites that they each got their own spinoff shows, and the penguins even got a full theatrical movie in 2014 called Penguins of Madagascar. The most recent addition to the franchise is Madagascar: A Little Wild, a prequel series that came out in 2020 and ran for eight seasons. It follows the main gang as baby zoo animals and shows how their friendship first began.
4
‘Despicable Me’ (2010)
Despicable Me ImageImage via Illumination Entertainment
Despicable Me became an instant hit for one big reason. The Minions. Those yellow capsule-shaped troublemakers that speak in hilarious gibberish and go absolutely feral over bananas completely stole the show. Every single scene with them was pure, unadulterated joy.
The first movie was a huge success with both kids and adults, so naturally, sequels were guaranteed. We now have three Despicable Me sequels, plus two Minions spinoff films that serve as prequels to the mainline Despicable Me movies. A third Minions movie is also in the works and will be released in July 2026. On top of the films, there have been TV specials, short films, and even a bunch of video games.
3
‘Fast & Furious’ (2001)
Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster as Brian O’Conner and Mia Toretto staring in the same direction in The Fast and the FuriousImage via Universal Studios
The first Fast & Furious movie did not have the most original story. It was basically a rehash of Point Break; an undercover cop joins a crew of thrill-seeking criminals, forms a bond with the leader, and faces a crisis of loyalty. But what made it so iconic was how it authentically recreated car and street racing culture for the big screen. It became the ultimate movie for car dudes, and there was nothing else like it back then.
The franchise has changed a lot since those early days. The first few films tried to stay grounded, but once Fast Five hit, the series went all in on giant set pieces, and each sequel kept upping the ante. The crew went from stealing VCRs and DVD players to launching a modified Pontiac Fiero into space to stop a satellite. The franchise has now grown to 10 main movies, plus the spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. The 11th and final film is currently in development and slated for release in 2027. The franchise also has tons of video games, two short films, and even a Netflix animated series called Fast & Furious Spy Racers.
2
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves in The MatrixImage via Warner Bros. Pictures
The original Matrix was novel from so many angles. Most action movies back then were simple popcorn flicks with easy-to-digest stories. But The Matrix experimented with ideas that were grand and audaciously imaginative for that era. Just when audiences thought they had the story figured out, Neo (Reeves) woke up in a tank of goo, and everything changed. A world within a world. Questions about what is real, and how you even define reality. The movie also brought in concepts like the red pill or blue pill choice and the whole idea of glitches in the Matrix. These terms have become so deep-seated in pop culture that even people who have never seen the movie still know exactly what they mean.
The Matrix also pushed visual effects way ahead of the curve. The Wachowskis used more than 100 cameras to create the iconic bullet time scene where Neo bends backward and dodges bullets. That one moment set a whole new standard for VFX in film and inspired filmmakers to experiment with more complex visual storytelling. The success of the first film led to three sequels that expanded the war between humans and machines on a much larger scale. There was also The Animatrix, a collection of animated side stories about life within and outside the Matrix, as well as several video games and comics that expand on the lore from the movies.
1
‘Star Wars’ (1977)
Image via Twentieth Century-Fox
Right now, Star Wars is the biggest original franchise in history, and it all began with that first groundbreaking leap into a galaxy far, far away. Before Star Wars, sci-fi was seen as a niche, low-budget genre. Most fans just watched reruns of Star Trek or old B-movie sci-fi flicks on TV. Then Star Wars came along and blew the genre wide open. The music was epic, the ships were massive, and the action felt larger than life. It was a living, breathing world packed with planets, aliens, droids, Jedi, lightsabers, and TIE fighters. George Lucas built a universe so rich and detailed that it almost guaranteed there’d be more stories to tell.
Then came the sequels, the prequels, and even more sequels. Each pulled in a new generation of fans and helped turn Star Wars into a global phenomenon. The hype for The Phantom Menace and The Force Awakens was off the charts, and these releases were worldwide cinematic events. The Force Awakens even ranks as the 6th highest-grossing film of all time, above Infinity War! Today, the Star Wars universe spans 12 main films, countless TV movies, LEGO specials, novels, comics, video games, and hit shows like The Mandalorian, Andor, and The Clone Wars. Several new movies are also in the pipeline, including The Mandalorian & Grogu and Ryan Gosling’s Starfighter, slated for 2026 and 2027, respectively.
