It seems to be hard to nail the landing when it comes to movie trilogies, as the third movies can often be dissatisfying. However, that doesn't seem to matter all that much when it comes to their box office gross. Regardless of the quality in some cases, these trilogies are made up of some of the highest-grossing movies of all time, and the movies that are most polarizing are somehow even more successful.
But there are others that end in a way that's just as well-written as when the series began, and their box office takes are representative of that. Some high-grossing movie trilogies will be missing here, such as the Thor movie franchise, because given that there's a fourth movie in production, it's no longer a trilogy.
How To Train Your Dragon Trilogy - $1.63 Billion
Dreamworks Animation doesn't have the best reputation, especially when compared to their peers, like Pixar. But How To Train Your Dragon forced audiences to look at the studio differently. The first movie is a brilliantly well-told and heartfelt story with glorious animation to go with it.
It's one of the best animated movies the whole family can enjoy, and its box office take proves just that. The first movie made almost $500 million, and the sequels grossed even more. Outside of Toy Story, it's the most consistent animated series there is in terms of both quality and box office gross.
Star Wars: The Original Trilogy - $1.8 Billion
The original Star Wars trilogy is the oldest of the highest-grossing trilogies, but if inflation was taken into consideration, chances are it would be much higher on the list. Not only did the first three space operas make close to $2 billion worldwide, but it also started an enormous franchise that's made up of spin-off movies, TV shows, toys, and video games.
Whichever trilogy fans of the series think is best all depends on when they grew up, as there are even audiences who love the prequel trilogy more than anything else. However, there are so many great characters in the original Star Wars trilogy, and if they were to ever be re-released in theatres, which seems inevitable at this point, that $1.8 billion would balloon exponentially.
The Captain America Trilogy - $2.25 Billion
Captain America: The First Avenger had a modest box office intake of $370 million, but after the huge success of The Avengers, the following two films made an average of almost a billion apiece. But it wasn't simply The Avengers that made the Captain America movies so successful, it was also down to the ingenious way that Marvel Studios threw multiple Marvel characters into each film.
The Winter Soldier was supported by both Black Widow and Nick Fury, and it introduced The Falcon and the titular character. Civil War took it even further, as it's essentially an Avengers movie, considering the sheer number of superheroes in it. At this point, throwing Spider-Man into a movie all but confirms a billion-dollar gross profit.
The Iron Man Trilogy - $2.4 Billion
There's an argument to be made that the Captain America movies might not have been as successful as they were if it wasn't for all the other Marvel heroes appearing in them. However, the Iron Man movies prove this wrong. None of the three films rely on other heroes from the MCU at large, except for introducing Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and the hilarious Bruce Banner cameo in Iron Man 3.
The Iron Man trilogy was able to make $2.4 billion all on the high concept and Robert Downey Jr.'s charisma alone, which is something so few MCU movies can claim. Not only that, but Iron Man wasn't that much of a popular comic book character, to begin with, making it that much more of an impressive feat.
The Dark Knight Trilogy - $2.46 Billion
Just like many of the highest-grossing trilogies, the Dark Knight trilogy wasn't always on track to make the amount that it did. However, this isn't because of the quality of Batman Begins, but because of the nasty taste that Batman & Robin left in audiences' mouths.
But the reboot was a great, realistic approach to the character, and it influenced a whole wave of dark and gritty reboots. It was The Dark Knight that thrust the series into the billion-dollar territory. Though some Redditors have the unpopular opinion that the pacing is too slow, not only was director Christopher Nolan's vision fully realized, but it had a smart narrative and a captivating villain, as did The Dark Knight Rises.
Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy - $2.5 Billion
Though the three movies in the trilogy are all based on one of the biggest plot twists in history, effectively spoiling The Empire Strikes Back, it's still one of the most talked-about sagas there is. The prequel trilogy is about Anakin Skywalker's evolution to becoming Darth Vader, and regardless of the quality, audiences needed to see the result.
The series is full of strange directions in the narrative, and they're some of the most polarizing movies that have seen release, but that didn't stop fans from flocking to the multiplexes. It was mostly thanks to repeat viewings that helped the trilogy earn so much, as some fans were seeing it upwards of 10 times, according to Box Office Pro.
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy - $2.5 Billion
When Sam Raimi spearheaded the first Spider-Man movie in 2002, it was unapologetically comic book-ish and showed audiences what CGI was capable of, unlike any other film. It had the highest-grossing opening weekend ever at the time, and the following movies only built on the success. Even Spider-Man 3, which was critically derided and hated by audiences, still made close to $900 million.
However, with the impending release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the soon-to-be MCU Spider-Man trilogy could realistically trump Raimi's reign. Homecoming and Far From Home have earned more than $2 billion combined.
The Hobbit Trilogy - $2.93 Billion
Director Peter Jackson wasn't able to stay away from Middle-earth for long, as he returned to make a whole new trilogy based on just one book. And while the movies do have their critics and they aren't as loved as their predecessors, there are still things the Hobbit trilogy got right, such as the fun tone and humor.
In that respect, it had a much more broad appeal than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it still couldn't match the fantasy epics released 10 years before. However, the almost $3 billion gross that the Hobbit trilogy made is nothing to sniff at.
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy - $2.99 Billion
When it comes to movie trilogies, most of them, even the great ones, find it hard to stick the landing, whether it's The Godfather Part III or Spider-Man 3. However, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is not only made up of not only two great movies, but arguably one of the best threequels ever made.
The Return of the King is the seventh greatest movie of all time, according to the fanbase on IMDb. It's amazing that the film was even able to earn its $1.15 billion gross profit, as its three-hour and 20-minute runtime is enough to put most viewers off.
Star Wars: The Sequel Trilogy - $4.47 Billion
The final trilogy in the Skywalker saga was a case of diminishing returns, as it made consecutively less with each release. But that isn't to say that it wasn't successful, as the trilogy made close to $4.5 billion, and that's not even including the other spin-off movies released by Disney.
The sequel movies have been even more polarizing than the prequel trilogy, but it still nevertheless makes up for almost half of the franchise's combined revenue of just over $10 billion. It seems unlikely that any other trilogy will beat the sequel trilogy's financial success, at least not for a long time.