I’ve written in the past about the largest media franchises owned by Disney, Warner Bros., etc. But what are the world’s largest media franchises overall? Below is a look at the ten biggest franchises based on how much they’ve earned. Figures are from Wikipedia (so take with a grain of salt), and aren’t adjusted for inflation.
10. Hello Kitty
Total revenue: $33.5 billion
“Hello Kitty” has earned $33.5 billion to date. It’s one of several Japanese franchises on this list.
Trivia: did you know Hello Kitty has a backstory? She’s British, lives in London, and has a twin sister. She also has a non-anthropomorphic pet cat, in a situation presumably similar to Goofy and Pluto co-existing.
9. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
Total revenue: $34.3 billion
Unsurprisingly, the MCU is in the top 10, having earned $34.3 billion to date. Nearly all of that is related to box office earnings, with the remainder from home video (i.e. DVDs, Blu-rays, digital sales). While not included, I assume MCU-related merchandise (as opposed to general Marvel merchandise) is also a cash cow.
8. Harry Potter (“Wizarding World”)
Total revenue: $34.7 billion
Unfortunately, “Harry Potter” is one of the entries in the top 10. While the books are billion-dollar earners, it’s the movies and merchandise that put “Harry Potter” into the top 10. As I’ve written before, there’s a reason why Warner Bros. keeps trying to make the franchise prominent, despite that they own franchises outright that aren’t funneling money to a transphobic author.
Fortunately, alternatives to “Harry Potter” exist that fill the same “magical school”/”kids practicing magic”/”Merlin-like mentor” niches.
7. Barbie
Total revenue: $36.3 billion
Wikipedia’s list only counts revenue earned since 1987, the year “Barbie” received its first media spin-offs (a pair of animated TV specials), so its total revenue should be even higher. Almost all of the revenue is, of course, from toy sales, though the 2023 movie definitely helped. Home video sales also are a factor; however, since 2017, the made-for-TV movies have switched to debuting on Netflix.
6. Anpanman
Total revenue: $38.4 billion
A franchise that’s unknown to most Americans, “Anpanman” is a popular franchise in Japan. The series, which debuted in 1973 as a children’s picture book, is about a superhero with an anpan (a Japanese red bean paste filled pastry) for a head.
5. Disney Princess
Total revenue: $45.4 billion
The “Disney Princess” franchise, launched in 2000, is a franchise based on various female Disney protagonists from their famous animated films. Despite the line’s name, only some of them are actual princesses.
The franchise serves as branding for various toys, dolls, decorations, and a handful of videos featuring the characters. Disney Junior series “Sofia the First” is considered a part of this franchise, as the various princesses have appeared in the series. The Disney Princess characters also appeared in the “Wreck-It Ralph” sequel “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” Apparently, the princesses’ original films aren’t counted toward the above revenue figure.
The current Disney Princess characters include: Snow White; Cinderella; Aurora (“Sleeping Beauty”); Ariel (“The Little Mermaid”); Belle (“Beauty and the Beast”); Jasmine (“Aladdin”); Pocahontas; Mulan; Tiana (“The Princess and the Frog”); Rapunzel (“Tangled”); Merida (“Brave”); Moana; and Raya (“Raya and the Last Dragon”). Former characters dropped from the line include Tinker Bell (who got her own franchise line/series of direct-to-video movies, “Disney Fairies”) and Esmerelda (“The Hunchback of Notre Dame”). The cast of “Frozen” aren’t included, since that movie is a merchandising force unto itself.
4. Star Wars
Total revenue: $46.7 billion
“Star Wars” is still a massive force, though almost two-thirds of its revenue comes from merchandise. The movies alone have earned $10.3 billion to date.
3. Winnie the Pooh
Total revenue: $50.2 billion
Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh” line has been a massive money-earner for the House of Mouse, moreso than almost any other franchise. Nearly the entire figure is from merchandise (versus the handful of movies and TV shows). While the original version of the character is now in the public domain, Disney will still own the rights to their version of Pooh for the next several decades.
2. Mickey Mouse & Friends
Total revenue: $61.2 billion
I suppose it’s unsurprising that the world’s most famous cartoon character is also Disney’s most lucrative property. “Mickey Mouse & Friends” is Disney’s collective name for everything that features or is tied to one of the “Sensational Six” characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto.
Said properties include the comics, “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “DuckTales,” “Goof Troop,” “A Goofy Movie,” and so on. Also included are other classic Disney shorts related properties, such as “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.”
1. Pokemon
Total revenue: $101.7 billion
Coming in at #1 is the still-popular video game franchise “Pokemon.” Nearly all of its revenue figure is from video game sales (both console and mobile), plus merchandise. The various movies (including 2019 film “Detective Pikachu”) only come to a bit over $1 billion.
Conclusion
Half of the above franchises are owned by Disney; three are from Japan, one is tied to Warner Bros. (“Harry Potter”) and one is tied to Mattel (“Barbie”).
Image (clockwise): “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”; “The Princess and the Frog”; “The Avengers.” (Disney)
