A recently created list of the highest grossing media franchises of all time holds quite a few surprises including the fact that video games hold the top spot.
If most folks had to bet on the highest grossing media franchise of all time, they might put their money on Marvel or Star Wars. But with over two decades of global merchandising and acclaim spread across video games, card games, toys, films, and more, it makes sense that the top spot actually belongs to Pokemon.
According to a chart designed by Title Max, over its 20 years as a cultural phenomenon, Pokemon has made over $92 billion in revenue, which puts it at $12 billion over the runner-up Hello Kitty. The top franchises on this list all have one thing in common: merchandising. The Pokemon Company clearly has that in the bag with ideas like its $500 Mareep plushie.
But some other things on this list actually make more in merchandising than Pokemon. The franchise had taken such a huge lead by spreading itself out over many different mediums. The Pokemon video games, which count separately from merchandise, add an additional huge chunk to the revenue. The list also separates out the Trading Card game, which adds another meaty chunk to the chart.
When Pokemon GO burst onto the scene a few years ago, many folks seemed surprised at the way it took the world by storm. It seemed like a sleeper hit. It turns out the world didn’t know just how many fans Pokemon has. The franchise has an almost universal appeal, with a way in for everyone, whether it’s games, toys, cards, movies, or TV Shows.
The other game-first franchise that made the list proves that Nintendo earns its reputation as the Disney of video games. Mario not only made the list, but also broke the top ten, beating out things like Marvel and Harry Potter. The interesting tidbit about Mario is how the franchise has managed to earn its spot mainly on the sales of its video games. Mario merchandising doesn’t have the prevalence of Pokemon, but the character shows up in so many different kinds of games that it has put his game revenue since 1981 at $30 billion. Mario has also shown up in mobile games like the upcoming Mario Kart Tour.
The rest of the list mostly includes films, anime, and manga. Some of these did move the needle a little bit with the help of game tie-ins. Star Wars and Dragon Ball Z both have sizable video game chunks on their graphs. Finally, despite starting as a manga, video games represents the largest chunk of revenue for Fist of the North Star.
Source: Title Max
