While there is a perception that blockbuster franchises are not accepted by the Oscars, the reality is that a number of the biggest movie series of all time have multiple awards to their names. It is true that most of these come from the technical categories, but it still makes these huge and popular franchises Oscar-winners.
But then there are the huge series that went home completely empty-handed. Despite being long-running franchises and breaking box office records, these movies failed to impress the Oscar voters enough to get a trophy. And the franchises that remain Oscar-less might surprise fans.
Iron Man
It seemed as though The Dark Knight broke new ground for superhero movies at the Oscars with Heath Ledger winning for his portrayal of The Joker. However, in that same year, another ground-breaking superhero movie was completely overlooked.
Iron Man kicked off the MCU and made the hero into a household name. Robert Downey Jr.'s comeback role gained huge acclaim but no awards love. Even more shocking, the special effects that helped bring the hero to life in three movies were never honored.
Die Hard
Much like superhero movies, action movies have always had a difficult time getting recognition from the Oscars. Even Die Hard, which is seen as perhaps the best movie in the genre, failed to take home any Oscars, despite nominations for visual effects and editing.
Though many fans would say that the franchise never bested the original, the Die Hard sequels were also filled with the kind of action sequences that are often worthy of those technical categories.
The Hunger Games
Just as Jennifer Lawrence was establishing herself as one of the best young actors in Hollywood with acclaimed roles, she took on her first franchise with The Hunger Games. Based on the popular young adult novels, the four-part movie series offered a grand and action-packed look at a dystopian world.
Lawrence continued to impress audiences and critics with her heroic lead role as Katniss Everdeen. She was also joined in the series by other Oscar-winning talents like Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Yet the impressive ensemble failed to earn the franchise even a single Oscar nomination.
The Before Trilogy
While most of the overlooked franchises are the kind of blockbusters that don't seem to sit well with Oscar voters, the Before Trilogy offered just the type of intimate drama that would seemingly be perfect for the Oscars.
The series of three movies shot over the course of two decades explores the relationship between two people who happen to meet on a trip and form a strong bond. The two sequels managed to earn Best Adapted Screenplay nominations, but neither won.
How To Train Your Dragon
When it comes to animated movies, it is not unusual for them to expand into franchises. However, How To Train Your Dragon surprised many audiences and became one of the most celebrated trilogies of all time, animated or otherwise.
However, that was not enough to earn the franchise any Oscars despite the amazing visuals and the Best Animated Feature category. Though each of the three movies was nominated, they lost to the likes of Toy Story 3, Big Hero 6, and Toy Story 4.
The Planet Of The Apes Prequels
The idea of a prequel to the Planet of the Apes movies was not an idea many people were overly excited about, but then Rise of the Planet of the Apes ended up being a much better movie than anyone expected.
Using motion-capture to bring the apes to life, it would have seemed like these epic, action-packed, and moving stories would have been favorites among the technical awards. However, there was also a push for Andy Serkis to become the first actor nominated for a motion-capture performance which didn't happen.
The Fast And The Furious
When the Fast and Furious franchise started, few people were surprised it didn't rake in the awards as the original was basically a Point Break remake. However, much to everyone's surprise, the movies gradually grew into one of the biggest franchises of all time.
Though the movies are pure popcorn adventures that should not be taken seriously in order to be enjoyed, they do feature plenty of huge action sequences and special effects. The script and performances might never be honored, but perhaps the franchise's two-part final chapter can finally earn an Oscar.
Mission: Impossible
With competition like James Bond and Jason Bourne, Mission: Impossible has steadily become Hollywood's best spy franchise. With Tom Cruise at the front of these wild adventures, the Mission: Impossible movies have gotten bigger and better over time.
There has been an increasing call in recent years for the Oscars to finally acknowledged stunts at the awards and it seems like these movies would be a shoo-in for that award. However, with Mission: Impossible – Fallout, there were many who felt Cruise legitimately deserved some recognition for his action hero performance.
Harry Potter
The Harry Potter movies were definition cinematic experiences for a certain generation and helped bring one of the most magical worlds to the big screen. The movies also seemed to gain more critical acclaim as they continued yet not enough for the Oscars to notice.
Along with the special effects and the adaptations of these beloved books, the movies also feature performances that have become iconic. With the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, and even the young lead actors, there might have been some recognition along the way.
The Avengers
Though the MCU does have a few Oscar wins to date, there are still some who are shocked that the biggest franchise within the cinematic universe has gone overlooked. The Avengers helped to prove this idea of a shared universe was going to work and the team-up movies have represented the biggest MCU movies to date.
As Avengers: Endgame was one of the biggest movies of all time and the culmination of the entire MCU up to that point, there were some who thought it might finally get some recognition beyond the technical categories. But in the end, it failed to win anything.