Pop Culture & Entertainment
The Highest-Grossing Book-Adaptation Film Franchises
These are film series built on a novel or book series, ranked by combined worldwide box office. Unlike our list of the highest-grossing films (single movies), media franchises (lifetime revenue including merchandise) or horror franchises (one genre), this one counts only films adapted from books. The Wizarding World leads with $9.51 billion across 11 films, as of November 2026.
Pictured: the official teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, first film of the #1 Wizarding World franchise ($9.51 billion).
As of November 1, 2026. All figures are worldwide box office from The Numbers’ franchise pages, summed across a franchise’s released theatrical films; no inflation adjustment.[1] A row is one author’s film universe (so Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts count together, as do The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit). Event screenings, compilation listings, unreleased films and films with no reported gross are excluded; The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens November 20, 2026 and is not counted. Some later films in these series are original stories rather than strict adaptations (Bond, Jurassic, Shrek, Bourne, Apes); they are counted because The Numbers groups them as one franchise. Series below $1.0 billion, such as Hannibal Lecter ($0.92 billion), Jack Ryan ($0.91 billion), Divergent ($0.74 billion) and Paddington ($0.69 billion), are not listed.[12]
The Top 10
#1
Wizarding World — $9.51B
Eight Harry Potter films earned $7.63 billion and the three Fantastic Beasts films another $1.88 billion, for $9.51 billion in total.[2] Rule used throughout: one row per author’s film universe, so the two series count together here, as Middle-earth’s do. Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011) is the biggest single film at $1.31 billion, while the Fantastic Beasts series fell from $816 million to $407 million across its three films.[2] Re-release event screenings ($68 million) are left out.[2] Video: the series’ official channel, the first film’s teaser.
#2
James Bond — $7.88B
Bond has the most films of any row, 27 released, and $7.88 billion in all.[3] Two of the 27 are outside the Eon series (Casino Royale in 1967 and Never Say Never Again in 1983, $201.7 million together), and both are counted; Eon’s 25 add up to $7.68 billion.[3] Skyfall (2012) leads at $1.11 billion and Dr. No (1962) opened at $59.6 million.[3] Fleming wrote the early films’ source novels and stories; many later films are original stories. An unreleased Bond 26 shows $0 and is not counted.[3]
#3
Jurassic Park / Jurassic World — $6.90B
Seven films have earned $6.90 billion.[4] Jurassic World (2015) is the top film at $1.67 billion, ahead of the original Jurassic Park (1993) at $1.06 billion; Rebirth (2025) took $872 million.[4] Only the first two films draw on Michael Crichton’s novels (Jurassic Park, The Lost World); the rest are original stories set in his world.
#4
Middle-earth — $5.89B
Seven Tolkien films total $5.89 billion: the Lord of the Rings trilogy ($2.95 billion), the Hobbit trilogy ($2.91 billion) and the animated War of the Rohirrim (2024, $20.8 million).[5] The Return of the King is the biggest single film at $1.13 billion.[5] A compilation listing of the trilogy ($0.55 million) is excluded to avoid double counting, and The Hunt for Gollum (listed for 2027) has no gross yet.[5]
#5
Twilight Saga — $3.31B
Five films earned $3.31 billion, from $403.7 million for Twilight (2008) to $830.3 million for Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012), the series’ biggest.[6] The count leaves out two event entries (a Twilight/New Moon combo and a marathon, $2.5 million together).[6] It edges The Hunger Games by just $2.0 million, so #5 and #6 are close enough to swap on a re-release.
#6
The Hunger Games — $3.31B
Five films have grossed $3.31 billion, led by Catching Fire (2013) at $864.8 million; the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) added $347.9 million.[7] The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens November 20, 2026, and is not included, because it had no box office as of November 2026.[7][1] Its release will move this row.
#7
Shrek — $2.99B
Four Shrek films earned $2.99 billion, with Shrek 2 (2004) the top film at $933.8 million.[8] Only the first film is adapted from William Steig’s 1990 picture book; the sequels are original stories, a caveat that applies to every franchise whose later films outrun the books. The two Puss in Boots spinoffs ($1.04 billion) are not counted, and Shrek 5 has not opened.[8]
#8
Planet of the Apes — $2.51B
Ten films have earned $2.51 billion: the original five (1968–1973) $80.9 million, the 2001 remake $362.2 million, and the four reboot-era films (2011–2024) $2.07 billion.[9] Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) leads at $710.6 million.[9] The series starts from Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, but later films follow original storylines.
#9
Bourne — $1.67B
Five films earned $1.67 billion, topped by The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) at $444.0 million; Jason Bourne (2016) made $416.2 million and the first film $214.4 million.[10] Robert Ludlum’s novels supply the first three films’ titles and premise; The Bourne Legacy (2012) and Jason Bourne are original stories.
#10
The Chronicles of Narnia — $1.56B
Three films earned $1.56 billion, and the first, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), made $720.5 million; Prince Caspian (2008) took $417.3 million and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) $418.2 million.[11] The studio planned more of C.S. Lewis’s seven books, but the series ended after three films. The video is the third film’s official trailer.
Sources
- The Numbers, franchise box office pages (the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/…), read November 1, 2026; franchise totals are RList sums of the per-film worldwide figures shown there. Release dates: Lionsgate and Box Office Mojo list The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping for November 20, 2026.
- The Numbers, Harry Potter franchise (8 films $7,633,775,418; 3 Fantastic Beasts films $1,878,944,320); YouTube, Harry Potter, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | Official Teaser Trailer”.
- The Numbers, James Bond franchise (27 released films, $7,878,059,752); YouTube, James Bond 007, “NO TIME TO DIE | Trailer 2”.
- The Numbers, Jurassic Park franchise (7 films, $6,898,831,280); YouTube, Universal Pictures, “Jurassic Park 3D - Trailer”.
- The Numbers, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises (7 films, $5,890,313,393); YouTube, Warner Bros. Entertainment, “The Fellowship of the Ring | The Lord of the Rings 4K Ultra HD”.
- The Numbers, Twilight franchise (5 films, $3,309,713,116, excluding the combo and marathon entries); YouTube, The Twilight Saga, “Twilight Official Trailer”.
- The Numbers, Hunger Games franchise (5 released films, $3,307,703,676); YouTube, The Hunger Games, “The Hunger Games - Official Trailer #2”.
- The Numbers, Shrek franchise (4 films, $2,991,751,964, excluding Puss in Boots spinoffs); YouTube, Universal Pictures, “Shrek | 25th Anniversary Trailer”.
- The Numbers, Planet of the Apes franchise (10 films, $2,511,695,066); YouTube, Planet of the Apes, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Trailer”.
- The Numbers, Bourne franchise (5 films, $1,665,926,127); YouTube, Universal Pictures UK, “Jason Bourne - Official Trailer 1”.
- The Numbers, Chronicles of Narnia franchise (3 films, $1,556,067,810); YouTube, 20th Century Studios UK, “The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader OFFICIAL TRAILER”.
- The Numbers franchise pages for Da Vinci Code (3 films, $1,478,285,335), Fifty Shades (3 films, $1,324,147,014), Alice in Wonderland (2 films with figures, $1,302,419,222), Dune (3 released films, $1,173,174,461), Sherlock Holmes (2 films with figures, $1,034,101,655), Hannibal Lecter ($921,715,912), Jack Ryan ($910,977,412), Divergent ($743,364,818) and Paddington ($688,150,834).
