These film franchises that started in the 1970s are all among the most successful franchises ever made, speaking from both a critical and commercial standpoint. But off the bat, it's worth noting that not every well-known series that started in the seventies will appear on this list, as some may hold great name value, but they may not be of legitimate quality.
For instance: while The Exorcist (1973), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and Jaws (1975) were all brilliant films that spawned commercially successful sequels and reboots, they remain the only solid entries of their respective franchises. They don't apply here. All the properties on this list feature at least one sequel, prequel, or reboot in their midst that's of notable quality. All that said, these are the eleven best film franchises that began in the 1970s, ranked.
11 Dirty Harry
With Clint Eastwood in the titular role, this series of action films helped truly establish that juggernaut American actor as a household name. The first entry in Dirty Harry was of course of the same name, and it remains the best the series has seen all these years later. Not to say it's aged perfectly, but it still holds up. The first movie was of course directed by Don Siegel, and it boasts a spot in the National Film Registry (NFR).
But the Dirty Harry movies slowly went downhill from there. What was once an intelligent and stylistic series of neo-noir action flicks was meeting its fate after nearly two decades. But again, even The Dead Pool (1988) boasts its fair share of qualitative traits, with other high-quality entries such as Magnum Force (1973) rounding these movies out to a tee.
10 Shaft
This is among the more underrated film franchises of all time, let alone on this list. The original Shaft (1971) boasts an alluring style of both visuals and sounds from its very first frame, and it features Richard Roundtree brilliantly portraying the titular private detective, John Shaft. He played the character again in two sequels from the same decade, albeit to less-notable degrees. But at the turn of the century, the Shaft series saw a fresh face to fill the detective's shoes.
The remake definitely outshines the original in terms of contemporary name value. Directed by John Singleton with Samuel L. Jackson in the lead role, it pales just a bit in comparison to the original's quality, but they're still great films all these years later. And with Shaft (2019) — if there's one problem with the franchise, it's the unoriginality of titles — Roundtree and Jackson joined forces to mediocre results across the board of success. But it's highly overlooked, and it rounds out the franchise perfectly to land Shaft at number ten.
9 Rocky
The greatest sports film franchise ever made is Rocky, which follows the pugilistic outings of the eponymous fighter Rocky Balboa. He's played by Sylvester Stallone in one of the most famous roles in the medium's history, with iconic moments being dispersed throughout each film. Most notably, Rocky (1976) by John G. Alvidsen is among the finest pictures on the list, though it hasn't aged as gracefully as others.
And frankly, Rocky II (1979) was nearly on par. The franchise is give or take in quality from there, mostly with sports fans appreciating the later entries. Rocky Balboa (2006) was good, though. The Creed series of spinoff films with Michael B. Jordan in the titular role marks the greatest run of films to come out this franchise since the seventies, and together, those movies land Rocky here at number nine.
8 Superman
The first mainstream superhero film that Hollywood ever produced, Superman (1978) saw direction under Richard Donner to widespread reverence from film critics and comic book fans alike. That entry in the Superman series has been etched into the history books by dint of the Library of Congress — as of 2017, it's been preserved in the NFR. And it holds up wonderfully today, with its star-studded cast seeing the overall product into highly acclaimed fruition.
The franchise mostly runs the gamut of quality from there. Superman II (1980) is of a similar caliber, but for the love of everything Kryptonic, indulge in neither Superman III (1983) nor Superman IV (1987). Not even the likes of Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, or Gene Hackman could save those two. The franchise redeemed itself to an extent with Superman Returns (2006), starring Brandon Routh as Clark and Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. And Man of Steel (2013) was solid enough for the eighth spot on the list.
7 Halloween
The greatest slasher franchise ever made is Halloween, created by John Carpenter. That juggernaut of horror films wrote, directed, and even scored the original film, simply titled Halloween (1978). And that remains perhaps the best movie its subgenre has ever seen nearly fifty years down the line. The franchise wouldn't see another good film until the modern reboot of the same name: Halloween (2018) by David Gordon Green.
And frankly, it's hardly seen an adequate entry since. Several sequels have made valiant attempts throughout the years, such as Halloween II (1981) and Halloween IV (1988). But if it weren't for Carpenter and Green, this famous franchise likely would have come in much lower on the list. And in the eyes of any given film fan, that could very well be the case.
6 The Muppets
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The first movie in this fan-favorite franchise was released just at the turn of the century with The Muppet Movie (1979). While names like Jim Henson and Frank Oz are largely associated with this property, the first entry was actually directed by James Frawley. It holds up wonderfully today as yet another movie with a placement among the NFR, and its release at the turn of the decade renders The Muppets an apropos choice for the list.
It features great charm and wit around every corner of its production, of course spawning a massive film franchise of the same name with sequels that tackle various genres: The Great Muppet Caper (1981) is a heist comedy, while Muppets From Space (1999) of course blends elements of science fiction. And there's not a single bad egg in the bunch.
5 Alien
The only reason Halloween can't truly be deemed the greatest horror franchise of all time is because, well, Alien exists. And aside from a couple blunders in the nineties — Alien 3 (1992) by David Fincher and Alien Resurrection (1997) by Jean-Pierre Jeunet — most entries herein are of the utmost caliber. Of course, the original Alien (1979) by Ridley Scott remains one of the greatest science-fiction movies ever made, and the same can be said for horror movies. Aliens (1986) by James Cameron was nearly on par if it wasn't outright better.
And even the aforementioned '90s sequels boast fairly hardcore fan bases. The prequel entries from the 2010s — Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), both by Ridley Scott — were of a much higher quality. And even if they still can't hold candles the original two entries, the two prequels in particular play a huge role in helping the Alien franchise land within the top five.
4 Star Trek
There are far more high-quality entries in this fan-favorite franchise than there are bad ones, which on any given film fan's list could land Star Trek even higher on the list. This epic series of intergalactic proportions boasts one of the most hardcore followings of any franchise on the list, with a fan base that's of course referred to as "Trekkies". They'd tell you this franchise is perfect from start to finish.
And sure, most entries are of notable quality, save for the fifth entry called The Final Frontier (1989). But with three eras of titles to its name, Star Trek does land this high on the list almost sheerly by dint of quality control. The reboot series with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto features some of the consistently highest-rated scores on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes, with each film in the franchise as a whole helping land it at number four.
3 Star Wars
Sure, the first three entries to release in the Star Wars franchise are among the most famous and critically acclaimed films ever made. You might be surprised to see this title outside the top two. But as fans are well aware today, the prequel trilogy marked a noticeable decline in quality, while the sequels are seen by fans today as the final nail in the otherwordly coffin.
Still, though: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) all shaped the genre of science fiction as fans know it today. And they hold up perfectly all these years later. The Phantom Menace (1999) marks another solid entry, while Revenge of the Sith (2006) boasts its fair share of high-quality elements. The Force Awakens (2015) might be the last, solid entry in mainline Star Wars that fans can expect for some time to come. And the other movies mentioned without a doubt land Star Wars in the legendary ranks.
2 Mad Max
Pound for pound, accounting for both quality and quantity, Mad Max is easily top-five material. But the fact that Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) stands tall as perhaps the greatest reboot any franchise has ever seen, it's just as easy to place this one in the penultimate spot. Of course, the original series starred Mel Gibson as the eponymous Max Rockatansky, while the aforementioned reboot featured Tom Hardy. The character remains a staple among both their filmographies, with Gibson and Hardy being deemed action stars for their respective performances.
The original series saw Gibson portray Rockatansky on three occasions, starting of course with Mad Max (1979). And although The Road Warrior (1981) arguably outshone the original, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) arguably represents the nadir of the franchise. But again, director George Miller got back on the tracks of chaos with Fury Road a few decades later, and the series is set to continue with the release of Furiosa. Here's hoping it lives up to the quality of its predecessors.
1 The Godfather
Save perhaps for the prior pick, not another franchise on this list is perfect from start to finish. Many fans abhor The Godfather: Part III (1990), but to call it a bad film simply by virtue of Sofia Coppola's lackluster efforts would be unfair to the filmmaking empire built by her father with the prior two entries. The Godfather (1972) is often cited among the greatest films ever made, if it doesn't hold the status outright, and The Godfather: Part II (1974) arguably surpasses its quality.
Those first two entries in The Godfather franchise nearly transcend the name value of the list as a whole, save for the recent science fiction picks. But thanks to consistently awe-inspiring performances, well-written screenplays, and brilliant direction under Francis Ford Coppola, there's truly not a bad movie in the bunch. A listing of this franchise's accolades feels redundant at this point in Hollywood history, as the quality hereof should essentially speak for itself.
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