Blockbuster movie franchises have raised the bar for profitability in Hollywood – with certain series pulling in multi-billion dollar returns. In spite of mostly negative reviews, and skepticism from series fans, Transformer movies remain some of the most reliable money-makers in Hollywood - joined by countless young adult adaptations, comic book films, and kid-friendly animated movie sequels, among others.

However, while it’s no surprise that established IPs like The Avengers or Harry Potter could pull in record-breaking numbers, what about the films that came out of nowhere, with small budgets, bad reviews, or a niche setup, but managed to strike a chord with audiences – and become some of the most successful series in movie history? In an industry that's increasingly dependent on tentpole popcorn movies, where studios and pundits often have a very clear idea of how a film will perform in theaters weeks ahead of release, box office Cinderella stories have become less frequent.

For that reason, we took a look at the most profitable film series (NOT standalone movies) in Hollywood history - and selected 10 of the Most Surprisingly Profitable Movie Franchises.

NOTE: Because we are looking at worldwide box office sales (where available), the following figures are not adjusted for inflation (and do not reflect the cost of marketing) - meaning that readers should keep in mind the release date and larger context for each entry. Rather than comparing/analyzing box office sales within (or outside) the list, the post was written to cast light on surprisingly profitable franchises and the reasons for their success.

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The Fast and the Furious

Fast and the Furious Movie Box Office

Back in 2001, Universal Pictures premiered The Fast and the Furious – a high-octane drama that explored the seedy life of illegal street racing. Thanks to likable leads Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, along with exciting car stunts, the original Fast and Furious was a success – pulling in $363 million at the worldwide box office. The film (and its first two sequels) placed heavy emphasis on car culture and high-performance modification - reflective of an increased interest in illegal street racing during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

To that end, marketing for the first three films featured the tag lines: "Live life 1/4 mile at a time," "How fast do you like it?", as well as "Speed Needs No Translation," respectively - until the series took a dramatic shift from street racing drama to over-the-top automotive heist action. The change in formula from nitro-powered speeding to automotive stunt action nearly doubled box office returns with Fast Five reaching $550 million and Fast & Furious 6 collecting $788.7 million worldwide - for a grand total of $2.3 billion (so far).

The tagline for Furious 7 reflects just how far the franchise storyline has come ("Vengeance Hits Home") while, on the other hand, trailers for the series' seventh installment depict some of the most outrageous car-centric stunts in Hollywood history (jumping a Ferrari between skyscrapers, for example). The Fast and Furious series might have been a little slow out the gate but, with at least two more films planned for production, Universal's racing-action franchise is speeding toward a pole position as one of the most profitable franchises in movie history.

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The Hangover

The Hangover Movie Box Office

Armed with just a clever setup and cast of mostly unproven leading men, including Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, director Todd Phillips surprised audiences with a memorable one-off comedy misadventure in The Hangover – resulting in $467 million in global box office ticket sales (not to mention a whole new definition for the term "Wolfpack").

Without question, The Hangover was rich in hilarious situations as well as cameos but where Phillips succeeded, plenty of similarly high-concept comedies fall by the wayside with little attention and underwhelming box office returns. Thanks to the bankable drug-induced amnesia comedy formula, Phillips returned to the series again in 2011 (to the tune of $586 million worldwide) and again in 2013 (adding another $362 million to the franchise gross) - though, one by one, audiences began to view The Hangover sequels as paint-by-numbers iteration on a far superior original.

Nevertheless, even though the third movie was the least successful of the series, proving it might be time to give The Hangover a break, Warner Bros. still made off with a grand total of $1.4 billion from the franchise - and while Phillips currently has no plans to make a fourth misadventure for Phil, Stu, and Alan, it's hard to imagine that the studio will be able to resist taking another crack at The Hangover honeypot one day (after letting the series rest for awhile).

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Jason Bourne

The Bourne Identity Movie Box Office

Based on Robert Ludlum’s novel series, The Bourne Identity delivered a quality international spy thriller - in spite of a modest budget and relatively niche source material. The first entry in the series was a surprise hit in America, which was responsible for over half of the movie’s $214 million worldwide gross.

The Supremacy sequel improved upon the first in ticket sales, cementing star Matt Damon as an American James Bond, and with audience’s primed for more, the series’ third entry raked in over $442 million globally. Despite underwhelming reviews, even the Bourne Legacy, a spin-off starring Jeremy Renner, was financially successful - bringing the franchise’s total box office take to $1.2 billion (over the course of a single decade).

Of course, like other franchises on our list, that number will continue to grow - since a fifth chapter (featuring a starring role for Matt Damon and Jason Bourne) is already slated for release in 2016. At this point, it's unclear if Legacy's poor response will impact the potential box office for (the currently unsubtitled) Bourne 5 but it's easy to imagine that the choice to bring Damon back, and ditch Renner entirely, means the upcoming film is poised to be a true successor for Ultimatum - and give prior series installments a run for their money in theaters.

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The Fockers

Meet the Parents Movie Box Office

Ben Stiller's Meet the Parents was a Hollywood remake of a 1992 indie film – both of which featured a straightforward premise: a loving boyfriend’s first meeting with his girlfriend’s parents, The Byrnes, results in a series of awkward encounters and comedic misunderstandings. It was a simple setup - one that was turned into a smash hit franchise thanks to the film’s leads (especially Robert DeNiro).

With $330.4 million in global box office revenue, Meet the Parents was a solid release for Universal Pictures but it was the film’s sequel, Meet the Fockers, that turned the story on its head, adding Hollywood heavyweights Dustin Hoffman Barbra Streisand, to truly exceed expectations – turning a successful franchise into an international hit with $516.6 million.

Like many family centric comedy franchises before it, the studio snatched-up low hanging fruit - making the (obvious and mostly uninspired) choice to extend the series by introducing Focker children into the mix. The final film, titled Little Fockerswas significantly less successful with reviewers but still drew audiences to the megaplex, managing to add a respectable $310 million (and a Razzie win for Best Supporting Actress, Jessica Alba) to the series coffer, for a total haul of $1.15 billion.

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Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin and the Chipmunks Movie Box Office

Alvin and the Chipmunks may have been a successful animated series in the 1990s but there was no guarantee that a CGI/live-action hybrid film would attract a new generation of kids to the franchise. Keep in mind, while Alvin and the Chipmunks might seem like a no-brainer on the surface, plenty of cartoon-turned-film franchises have not fared nearly as well - with some outright struggling to make back production and marketing expenses. Still, armed with a series of Chipmunkified pop music covers, Alvin and the Chipmunks managed to shrug off harsh reviews from critics and pulled in $361 million across the globe.

Of course, 20th Century Fox didn’t stop at one film and introduced The Chipettes in the Squekquel – which went on to surpass the box office power of the first film with $443 million. The third installment, Chipwrecked showed signs of franchise fatigue and, subsequently, underperformed in the domestic market. Yet, thanks to strong international brand loyalty, the movie squeaked by with another $342 million. Future installments are planned but, even in the face of nasty critical response, the three films have collectively grossed almost $1.15 billion for the studio.

By this point it's unlikely the next film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip, will significantly alter critical perception of the kid-focused series; however, can Fox and director Walt Becker (Van Wilder), at least reverse box office backslide - and push the franchise past a $1.5 billion worldwide gross?

NEXT  PAGE: Classic Monster Mayhem, Wet Bandits, and more!

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The Mummy

The Mummy Movie Box Office

When it was first announced that classic Universal Studios monster The Mummy would be turned into an Indiana Jones-like action adventure film, moviegoers scoffed at the idea – especially when they heard that George of the Jungle, Brendan Fraser had been cast as the film’s heroic lead.

Nevertheless, sharp humor and eye-popping visuals rocketed the movie to a $415 million in global ticket sales. Subsequent chapters would stretch the storyline to the near-breaking point but still proved to be bankable – with both sequels, The Mummy Returns and Tomb of the Dragon Emperor earning over $400 million a piece. That said, the franchise began to sputter with the release of a spin-off prequel, The Scorpion King (back in 2002), which limped in with an added $160 million – adding to the total franchise bank of $1.4 billion.

Further direct-to-DVD Scorpion King se-prequels would follow in the coming years (as recently as 2015's The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power) but it's unlikely that Steven Sommers' iteration will see any further box office earnings  - since the Mummy is now set for an unrelated reboot (within Universal Studios' shared monster movie universe).

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Night at the Museum

Night at the Museum Movie Box Office

Inspired by Milan Trenc’s 1993 children’s book, Night at the Museum hit a very calculated box office sweet spot – a film that could enchant kids but layered with enough fun moments, and familiar faces, to keep parents entertained. Still, no one could have predicted that Ben Stiller, a T-Rex skeleton, and an ensemble cast of quirky comedians portraying historical figures, would manage to bring in $574 million at the global box office.

Unfortunately, the film’s sequels, Battle of the Smithsonian and Secret of the Tomb, fell short of capturing the original movie’s ticket selling power but, combined, parts two and three still culled another $750 million for the series – bringing the trilogy’s complete run to $1.33 billion around the world.

For now, 20th Century Fox maintains the Night at the Museum series ends with Secret of the Tomb - which concludes the story of security guard Larry Daley. Nevertheless, given that an ever-expanding ensemble cast remains the series' biggest asset, it's hard to imagine the studio won't get tempted to revisit the profitable franchise down the line and add more funds to the series' haul - with a new star (and cast of zany museum residents).

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Home Alone

Home Alone Movie Box Office

Produced on a budget of $18 million, with an unknown child actor in the lead role, Home Alone became one of the most profitable comedies in film history. A clever premise combined with a holiday-themed storyline resulted in strong reviews and a monstrous global box office take of $476.7 million (back in 1990) – turning Macaulay Culkin into a household name.

Nevertheless, the film’s direct sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York didn’t perform quite as well critically or commercially – ultimately bringing in $359 million (over $100 million less than the original). Yet, 20th Century Fox still was not done with the series – pushing out another theatrical sequel, titled simply Home Alone 3, that did not feature any returning cast members. The third chapter bombed – bringing in a mere $79 million globally (though it still holds merit as one Scarlett Johansson's first big screen roles).

The series would continue on in two entirely forgettable made-for-TV productions, as recently as 2012 in Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, but the franchise’s theatrical run capped out at $914 million. That said, given the straightforward plot, low production costs, and the prospect of massive box office returns, it's likely only a matter of time before the studio attempts a full big screen reboot of the franchise for a new generation of kids (and original fans/now parents).

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Karate Kid

Karate Kid Movie Box Office

A straightforward coming of age tale, made with less than $8 million in funding, The Karate Kid earned Noriyuki "Pat" Morita an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Mr. Miyagi – after the film grossed over $90 million in North America alone. However, the simple story of a troubled teenager finding self-confidence and honor through the discipline of Karate has remained a Hollywood go-to-property for almost thirty years – resulting in two sequels, a spin-off, and a modern remake.

Together, the Karate Kid: Part II and Part III added another $150 million to the franchise’s box office take – while still limited to North American distribution. The spin-off, featuring Hilary Swank as The Next Karate Kid (under the tutelage of Morita/Miyagi) secured an international release – but was a box office bomb at home and around the globe, earning only $15 million total.

Nevertheless, sixteen years later, Sony Pictures dusted off the franchise with a reboot starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith that, much to the chagrin of its detractors, earned $359 million in worldwide ticket sales. A sequel (to the reboot) was announced shortly after release - with Chan as well as Smith slated to return. However, one year after it was announced that Breck Eisner had left the project, the film does not have an official release date - meaning we'll have to wait and see if Sony actually gets a follow-up off the ground (and adds further returns to the Karate Kid series' $614 million total).

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American Pie

American Pie Movie Box Office

It’s hard to imagine that an R-Rated romantic teen comedy, centered entirely on the sex lives of high school seniors, would prove to be an enduring comedy franchise but, somehow, American Pie has stood the test of time. In spite of that hard R-rating (for strong sexuality, crude sexual dialogue, language and drinking, all involving teens), petitions from parent groups, and a cast of relative unknowns, the original film posted a solid box office run – with $235 million around the globe.

Yet, it was American Pie's ability to retain viewers that secures the series a spot among Hollywood's most surprisingly profitable franchises. Unlike other entries on our list (which started out strong and wained in later installments or debuted to modest returns and grew in popularity over time), nearly every single American Pie film enjoyed similar box office returns – showing that even if as viewers came and went, a majority of the series’ audience returned for each subsequent installment (either to catch up with the zany ensemble cast or to see how Universal Pictures would top the comedy and sexual hijinks of prior entries).

The fourth and final chapter, American Reunion, underperformed in North America (with only $58 million) but still managed to secure a total of $235 million worldwide – bringing the franchise’s total gross to $989 million (which doesn’t even include the direct-to-DVD tie-ins starring Jim’s Dad, Eugene Levy, titled Band Camp, The Naked Mile, Beta House, and The Book of Love).

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New Spider-Man Marvel Movie Comic Stories

While we fully expect the Marvel and DC cinematic universes, Star Wars, and James Bond, among others, to keep driving box office records higher and higher (cementing their place as the most profitable movie franchises), these were our picks for ten movie franchises that drastically exceeded expectation.

Agree or disagree with any of the choices - or have other movie franchises that you were surprised to see pulling in big box office numbers? Feel free to share your own picks and reactions in the comments.

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