20 franchises with at least eight sequels

Audiences in 2001 were revved up for the street racing spectacle "The Fast and the Furious," a story of an undercover cop (Paul Walker) facing off against a hard charging criminal with a heart of gold (Vin Diesel), since then, seven more sequels, including this year's "Fate of the Furious", and at least two more planned sequels promise to continue bringing high-octane thrills to fans everywhere.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Fast Five" (2011)

The party film genre found its genesis with 1963's "Beach Party," aimed at teen audiences who were in love with rock-n-roll and the lovely former Mouseketeer Annette Funnicello. She and constant cast mate Frankie Avalon danced and surfed through eight additional films in the series, including popular classics like "Beach Blanket Bingo." After an 11-year hiatus, Frankie and Annette had one more day at the beach with 1987's "Back to the Beach."

Best Film in the Franchise: "Beach Blanket Bingo" (1965)

This rubber-faced simpleton known as Ernest P. Worrell began life as a TV pitchman, created by an advertising agency to sell soda pop and cereal, however the success of those commercials led to a film franchise that spanned nine sequels (in addition to an initial film "Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam") with titles such as "Ernest Scared Stupid" and "Slam Dunk Ernest" and more planned before the untimely death of actor Jim Varney in 2000, bringing a sad end to one of the more well-liked, if not obnoxious, characters in family-friendly films.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Ernest Goes to Camp" (1987)

It'd be pretty safe to say that Jason Voorhees, the silent but very deadly antagonist of the "Friday the 13th" series was responsible for making hockey masks part of our culture long after they saw their last days in actual game use. Beyond the murderous fashion sense, Jason cut a figure on screen that's lasted 12 films over the course of nearly 30 years. While the last "Friday" film launched in 2009, it's not hard to think that this is far from the last we've seen of the Crystal Lake killer.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" (1984)

Not only is Godzilla the undisputed King of the Monsters, he's also King of the Monster movies. With more than 30 films under his scaly belt, no other monster has had as prolific nor as profitable a career as a franchise. From the original 1954 "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" to 2016 reboot "Shin Godzilla," Toho's big green moneymaker can't seem to lose at the box office. Although there have been two financially successful iterations of Godzilla in the US, neither version truly compared to Japan's original. But have no fear, the third time could be the charm as the sequel to the 2014 US version gets another chance in "Godzilla 2" due sometime in 2019.

Best Film in the Series: "Destroy All Monsters" (1968)

The original "Halloween," released in 1978, didn't come from a big studio, but its popularity earned it big dollars and with big dollars come sequels, nine to be exact (with a reboot and its sequel). Antagonist Michael Myers was one of the first slasher film stars, and it's only a matter of time before he stalks the screen again.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Halloween" (1978)

Fans of all ages showed up for the adventures of "The Boy who Lived" and his classmates from Hogwarts Academy over the course of 10 years and eight films. Starting with 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and ending with 2011's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,"audiences got to see the wizarding trio of Harry, Hermione and Ron grow from children to young adults. Even though the final installment ended in 2011, a new franchise sprung from the ashes of the old, as "Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them" premiered in 2016, with a sequel planned for 2018.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004)

1987 brought us a different kind of horror film, one where thrills and chills were supplanted by buckets of gore. From the mind of horror novelist Clive Barker came "Hellraiser," the story of a family under the spell of a pleasure box that's actually a gateway to hell. During the course of events, horror fans found themselves a new horror icon in the form of Pinhead, a sadistic villain/anti-hero that would endure through eight additional outings before the series came to a conclusion in 2011.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Hellraiser" (1987)

Horror movies always seem to have the longest legs when it comes to franchises, and a prime example of this is the werewolf "Howling" series. The first film, directed by Joe Dante of "Gremlins" fame, followed a TV reporter who's investigating a serial killer while stumbling into a town that's actually full of werewolves. Since then seven more sequels have come and gone, but regardless of quality, the "Howling" series is still the longest running to feature werewolves.

Best Film in the Franchise: "The Howling" (1981)

With 24 films (and three non-continuity films) under his belt, James Bond is enjoying the longest active film franchise today. From Sean Connery's first appearance in 1962's "Dr. No" to Daniel Craig's most recent outing in "Spectre" (2015), this is a series that is neither shaken nor stirred. The staying power of this franchise can be chalked up to a number of things, but prime among them is what each actor who takes on Bond brings to the table. Craig is expected to have one more go at 007, but nothing is set in stone, and already, fans are looking ahead towards the next actor to fill that signature tuxedo.

Best Film in the Series: "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977)

In many ways, Tyler Perry's creation in drag Madea Simmons is a bit of a throwback to Jim Varney's Ernest P. Worrell, as his character is an ubiquitous presence in events that she has no business in, but like Ernest, business is really good right now. Starting in the theater, Perry transplanted his creation to film starting with 2005's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."After nine sequels, the most recent being "Boo! A Madea Halloween," things don't seem to be slowing down much for Tyler Perry or Madea.

Best Film in the Franchise: None

Starting with 1979's "The Muppet Movie," Jim Henson's felt-skinned creations have been in theaters in some form eight different times, the most recently being 2014's "Muppets Most Wanted."

Best Film in the Franchise: "The Muppets" (2011)

In the genuinely frightening "A Nightmare on Elm Street" audiences were introduced to Freddy Krueger, hideously burned child killer and razor-fingered stalker of dreams, but with the success of the original film (which also launched the career of a guy named Johnny Depp), Freddy, who unlike other slasher villains talked and had a personality, became more of a wisecracking imp. Still deadly, much of Robert Englund's performance bordered on camp, making Freddy somewhat endearing. After a successful team-up with "Friday the 13th" villain Jason Voorhees in 2003, the series had a less than successful reboot in 2011 that saw Englund replaced by Jackie Earle Haley to disastrous results, effectively killing the series.

Best Film in the Franchise: "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987)

Focusing on the follies of bumbling detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers), "The Pink Panther" was actually meant to be a starring vehicle for David Niven, whose bon vivant character was a jewel thief in disguise. The success of that film and Sellers' performance led to an entire franchise both on screen and on television where the titular panther was no longer a pink jewel, but rather a cartoon cat. The series even outlived the 1980 death of Sellers, although the three films that followed were less than worthy.

Best Film in the Franchise: "A Shot in the Dark: (1964) 

As film franchises go, there are few as interesting and at times as convoluted as the "Planet of the Apes". Loosely based on the Pierre Boulle novel, the significance of the series is the way in which it treats race, nuclear war and classism. In 1968, these were all hot-button topics that few films dared touch. Over the course of nine films, there were a couple reboots, yet the way in which they were handled can easily be explained as one whole continuity, something rare in longer franchises. The latest film in the series, "War for the Planet of the Apes" premieres this summer.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014)

The late '80s saw the emergence of the direct-to-video era kick off. Due to the cost of printing film stock, a number of low-budget films, mostly horror, realized it was cheaper to go the video route, and with VCRs in practically every home, franchises like "Puppet Master," following the horrific adventures of witchcraft-animated puppets found great success. This franchise in particular spawned 12 sequels, with more on the way. In the DTV market, it seems that the adventures of Blade, Pinhead, Jester and Tunneler won't be getting old anytime soon.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Puppet Master" (1989)

"Rin-Tin-Tin" started life as a dog stranded in a World War I battlefield, but it wouldn't be long before he was a movie star. In 27 films over the course of nine years, Rin Tin Tin became a worldwide star because of his starring roles, and although his film career was relatively short, time-wise, the name would be passed on to other German Shepherds, continuing a legacy that exists to this day. 

Best Film in the Franchise: "The Lightning Warrior" (1931)

After a five-year TV mission that abruptly came to an end after three, fans of "Star Trek" were thrilled when "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" beamed its way into theaters in 1979. Since then, we've followed the adventures of multiple crews on screen with the most recent, "Star Trek Beyond" bowing in 2016. The casts may change, but as long as filmgoers want to boldly go to the theaters, there's likely to be a new Enterprise voyage somewhere just down the road.

Best Film in the Franchise: "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"

Less like a franchise and more like a cultural juggernaut, Star Wars could be considered THE franchise in Hollywood today.  2017 brings with it the eighth film in the main series, "Episode VII: The Last Jedi" with 2018 bringing us the Han Solo origin story we never knew we needed. Since Disney's purchase of the franchise from creator George Lucas in 2012, the series received a new lease on life. As a sci-fi classic, it has no peer, and over the course of nine films, with at least three more on the way, audiences are a long way away from seeing the last of a galaxy far, far away.

Best Film in the Franchise" "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)

The first "X-Men," made during a time before superhero films were all the rage, opened the door for what was to come. Starring Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and a cast of stars before their prime, including virtual unknown Hugh Jackman, and even though that first film was lighter on effects, it was an instant success and spawned another nine films within the franchise, be they spinoffs or future sequels from an alternate timeline (maybe). Even though Wolverine met his end this year in "Logan," expect the Mutants to stick around for a long time to come.

Best Film in the Franchise: "X2" (2003)