10 Film Franchises That Outlined the 2010s

Within the 2000s, the world of cinema noticed a revolutionary change when it entered the digital age. CGI grew to become way more prevalent, and big-budget spectacles dominated the field workplace. Within the 2010s, with the expertise extra established, Hollywood doubled down on these developments whereas increasingly relying upon fan-favorite franchises to attract in bigger audiences.

Throughout the decade, older collection like Star Trek and Jurassic Park noticed largely profitable reboots, new franchises like How to Train Your Dragon and The Purge discovered first rate followings, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe broke a variety of field workplace information. However some cinematic collection have been extra influential than others, setting the developments that may outline the cinema of the interval. These are franchises that finest outline the 2010s, shaping the last decade’s cultural footprint.

10 The ‘Planet of the Apes’ Reboot Collection

First Launch: ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ (2011)

All through the 2010s, beloved franchises like Ghostbusters and Terminator have been revived and reimagined for the trendy day. Planet of the Apes was one other traditional franchise that bought the reboot therapy, receiving a complete trilogy centered on Andy Serkis‘ Caesar, a hyper-intelligent chimpanzee who sparks an ape rebellion towards humankind, ultimately turning into the chief of a brand new ape-centered society.

The Apes trilogy brilliantly combines spectacular particular results with all-time great motion-capture performances. Serkis is completely excellent as Caesar, delivering a robust bodily and vocal efficiency that brings depth and complexity to his character whereas highlighting the advantages of the last decade’s technological improvements. Every of the three movies additionally options an extremely compelling plot with some distinctive storytelling for blockbuster movies, particularly the third entry, through which a lot of the dialogue is conveyed by means of subtitles since lots of the apes communicate to one another in signal language. Not too long ago, the reboot continuity continued with the discharge of 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, however the primary three entries outlined the filmmaking model of the 2010s.

9 The ‘John Wick’ Collection

First Launch: ‘John Wick’ (2014)

Whereas motion movies have constantly carried out properly on the field workplace, every decade has a handful of flicks that really stick out over others. The ’80s saw the release of major action hits like First Blood and Die Hard, the ’90s had genre-defining classics like Terminator 2 and The Matrix, and the 2010s had the John Wick movies.

That includes beautiful cinematography and a number of the best action choreography in cinema historical past, 2014’s John Wick and its first two sequels have been an enormous breath of recent air in comparison with different motion motion pictures launched on the time, making them extraordinarily memorable. They have been additionally profitable on the field workplace, with every launch grossing greater than the final. The franchise absolutely solidified Keanu Reeves as a multi-generational motion star, redefining his profession for a brand new era and as soon as once more making him one of the crucial distinguished Hollywood names. In recent times, the franchise has continued to dominate the field workplace, and it stays one of the crucial definitive motion franchises of the 2010s.

8 The ‘Despicable Me’ Franchise

First Launch: ‘Despicable Me’ (2010)

Throughout the 2000s, animated hits like Shrek 2 and Up, produced by DreamWorks and Pixar, respectively, dominated the field workplace, eclipsing new releases from Disney and establishing a brand new pecking order on the earth of animation (even when Pixar was owned by Disney for a part of that point). Then, in 2010, new competitors got here into the scene when Illumination launched their debut characteristic, Despicable Me.

The primary Despicable Me was a memorable household movie that includes the comedic talents of Steve Carell and Jason Segel that additionally launched the Minions, the extraordinarily widespread species of mischievous, banana-obsessed creatures, making certain that it was a success on the field workplace. Its success led to the creation of a number of sequels, together with a spin-off collection centered on the Minions themselves. Its distinctive humorousness, like it or hate it, redefined the favored comedy in family-targeted movies whereas setting the blueprint for a lot of of Illumination’s later works, which might see comparable ranges of success.

7 ‘The Starvation Video games’ Franchise

First Launch: ‘The Starvation Video games’ (2012)

It might be troublesome to debate the developments current within the popular culture of the 2010s with out acknowledging the prominence of dystopian stories. All through the last decade, franchises depicting extraordinarily oppressive universes, like Divergent and Maze Runner, have been in no brief provide, however maybe essentially the most profitable was The Hunger Games. Based mostly on Suzanne Collins‘s wildly popular book series of the identical title, the franchise is about in a world the place, every year, random youngsters are despatched to battle to the loss of life, leaving the final one standing as the only victor.

Along with exemplifying the trendiness of dystopian science fiction, The Starvation Video games movies helped to solidify Jennifer Lawrence as one of many decade’s largest stars. The actress additionally performed a distinguished half within the X-Men franchise whereas incomes herself Oscar nominations for her performances in numerous different movies, together with a win for her position in Silver Linings Playbook. In the end, whereas serving as a superb time capsule of a cultural development, The Starvation Video games collection can also be an incredible take a look at a number of the up-and-coming names of the time, cementing it as a franchise that completely encapsulates the last decade it belongs to.

6 The DC Prolonged Universe

First Launch: ‘Man of Metal’ (2013)

Whereas the MCU was the undisputed king of the field workplace all through the 2010s, the DC Prolonged Universe was a powerful competitor, with movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Aquaman rivaling a few of Marvel’s greater hits. However, whereas each cinematic universes supplied big-budget superhero motion, DC’s outings sometimes featured a darker tone, setting them aside from their competitors.

As an entire, DC’s movies acquired a harsher important reception than Marvel’s, however they nonetheless supplied a refreshing change of tempo from their main rival’s releases, specializing in the extra brooding aspect of superheroes. Henry Cavill was perfectly cast as Superman, Jason Momoa was an viewers favourite as Aquaman, and Margot Robbie completely stole the present as Harley Quinn, making certain that, regardless of the assorted story points current within the movies, they have been constantly entertaining to look at. Finally, the DCEU collapsed beneath the burden of a collection of field workplace disappointments, however all through the 2010s, it was an especially distinguished franchise that supplied some much-needed competitors to the MCU.

5 The ‘Quick & Livid’ Franchise

First Launch: ‘The Quick and the Livid’ (2001)

The Fast & Furious franchise started with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, a movie through which a gang of road racers commits digital heists whereas they’re unknowingly infiltrated by a member of the LAPD. 2009’s Quick & Livid, the collection’ confusingly named fourth entry, took the franchise right into a barely extra over-the-top route, setting it as much as change into one of many biggest box-office successes of the next decade.

Throughout the 2010s, 4 more and more ridiculous mainline Quick movies can be launched, two of which earned over a billion {dollars}, whereas 2019 would see the discharge of the collection’ first spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw. A big contributing issue to the franchise’s success within the 2010s was its over-the-top motion sequences, like a second in Furious 7 through which Vin Diesel‘s Dominic Toretto drives a sports activities automotive throughout three of the Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi. Many motion film franchises moved on this route within the 2010s, however Quick & Livid was and continues to be essentially the most profitable, cementing it as one of the crucial defining motion franchises of the 2010s.

4 The ‘X-Males’ Franchise

First Launch: ‘X-Males’ (2000)

Within the 2000s, the X-Males trilogy, alongside the Blade and Spider-Man movies, made comedian e book cinema extra mainstream than ever earlier than. Regardless of the overwhelming success of the MCU within the subsequent decade, Fox’s X-Males universe managed to carry its personal on the field workplace, even influencing superhero filmmaking in a variety of methods, despite its extremely convoluted continuity.

2011’s X-Men: First Class did properly, however 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past was a notable success, proving that Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and his fellow mutants have been nonetheless greater than able to competing with Marvel’s field workplace heavyweights. Deadpool and Logan have been additionally huge hits for the franchise, concurrently offering two massively distinctive superhero movies, together with concrete proof that R-rated movies utilizing Marvel’s characters might see large monetary success. The top of the last decade introduced tough occasions for the franchise, with Dark Phoenix proving to be a field workplace disappointment, nevertheless it was nonetheless a largely influential superhero collection, components of which lately crossed over into the MCU with the discharge of Deadpool & Wolverine.

3 ‘The Conjuring’ Universe

First Launch: ‘The Conjuring’ (2013)

Over time, horror has gone by means of a variety of phases. In the identical means that slasher franchises like Halloween and Friday the 13th managed the horror field workplace within the ’80s, supernatural collection like Insidious and Sinister grew to become notably distinguished within the 2010s. Maybe essentially the most notable of all of those franchises is The Conjuring Universe, containing its title collection alongside the Annabelle and Nun spin-off collection.

All of the Conjuring movies completely exemplify the developments current in horror filmmaking all through the 2010s. Releases largely lean upon bounce scares, giving viewers temporary glimpses at their demonic villains with alarming sounds to impress a response. Each the Conjuring and Insidious franchises are nonetheless going sturdy immediately, and supernatural tales are nonetheless widespread, however bounce scares have change into noticeably much less prevalent, with grotesque imagery and psychological horror taking heart stage as a substitute. Thus, movies inside The Conjuring Universe are a good time capsule for where horror was in the 2010s, solidifying it as the last decade’s defining horror franchise.

2 The ‘Star Wars’ Sequel Trilogy

First Launch: ‘Star Wars: The Drive Awakens’ (2015)

Whereas the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy is an ideal illustration of the numerous issues that may go proper with a franchise revival, the Star Wars sequel trilogy usually serves for instance of how a lot can go flawed. Hyped past perception in 2015, The Force Awakens was a enjoyable movie that launched audiences to Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) whereas additionally reacquainting them with Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and a number of different acquainted faces from the enduring authentic trilogy. Sadly, it leaned too laborious on nostalgia, sacrificing originality in favor of treading acquainted however secure floor.

The Last Jedi tried to take issues in a daring new route, however followers have been dissatisfied with the strategy that author and director Rian Johnson took to collection’ hero Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) character development. The trilogy’s last entry, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, tried to answer the criticisms directed in direction of Final Jedi however in the end felt even much less inventive than The Drive Awakens, ending the trilogy on a low word. In the end, all three movies have redeeming qualities to various extents and have been huge box-office successes. Nonetheless, they could possibly be significantly better than they’re, a reality which is reflective of quite a few revivals in the course of the 2010s, making it an unlucky instance of a definitive franchise for the last decade.

1 The Marvel Cinematic Universe

First Launch: ‘Iron Man’ (2008)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the only most successful franchise of all time, and most of that success happened within the 2010s. Following the discharge of each Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk in 2008, the franchise fleshed itself out additional, introducing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) with solo movies in 2011 earlier than lastly releasing The Avengers in 2012, an enormous hit and one of many best superhero films of all time.

All through the 2010s, the MCU’s affect could possibly be seen in some ways. For one, a variety of different cinematic universes popped up over the last decade as soon as Marvel proved the idea could possibly be a hit, with examples together with the DCEU, Universal’s Dark Universe, and The Conjuring Universe. Black Panther was an enormous important and monetary hit that uniquely delved into themes surrounding race, incomes itself a nomination for Best Picture on the Oscars, whereas Avengers: Endgame briefly grew to become the highest-grossing film of all time earlier than Avatar beat it with a rerelease. The franchise has continued within the 2020s, nevertheless it has but to see the degrees of success that it did within the 2010s, making it the franchise that finest defines the last decade.

NEXT: The 10 Best Movies That Defined the 2010s, Ranked