It’s Day we’ve-lost-count of social distancing and we’re all looking for ways to fill the time while stuck at home. On the plus side, there’s never been a better time to do what Americans do best: binge-watch entertainment. Movies and TV shows have become our lifelines, but two weeks in (and almost three if you’re in San Francisco) and some of us are starting to run out of movies to watch, even with studios hustling to get movies up on VOD and streaming early.

To help you out, I’ve compiled a list of a dozen of the longest film franchises, sorted by run time from shortest to longest, to keep you occupied for at least the next month.

A few notes before we get started: I’m looking at theatrically-released franchises here, so I excluded straight-to-VOD series. That leaves out franchises like the Witchcraft series, which has 16 films in total but are all straight-to-VOD. Second, I focused on live-action movies, so any animated series are out. However, if a few animated films were part of a longer-running live-action franchise (such as the animated Netflix movies in the Godzilla franchise), I counted it. Third, I’m only including movies that have actually been released so, for example, No Time to Die was not included in my James Bond calculations. Fourth, only franchises that have films in the double digits are included – sorry, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. Lastly, I focused on film franchises for which you could stream, rent or buy at least a majority of their films. That leaves out the insanely long Wong Fei-hung series from China, which has a staggering 123 films in the movie franchise – but good luck finding most of them, especially from earlier decades.

12. Halloween

Total films: 11
Total runtime: 1,028 minutes = 17 hours, 8 minutes

Films:

Halloween (1978)
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Halloween (2007)
Halloween II (2009)
Halloween (2018)

The Halloween franchise is the most well-known horror franchise and with good reason. Michael Myers is the godfather of movie baddies; his sister, Laurie Strode, the patron saint of final girls. They’ve been waging their battle of good vs. evil for over three decades now, with a mythology that keeps evolving. WIth Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends coming out in the next few years, we’ll soon be able to add two more movies to the franchise total to make it a lucky 13.

11. Friday the 13th

Total films: 12
Total runtime: 1,113 minutes = 18 hours, 33 minutes

Films:

Friday the 13th (1980)
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Jason X (2002)
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Friday the 13th (2009)

Ironically enough, the franchise that started off as a straight rip-off of Halloween has now surpassed it in total number of films and run time. No one on the cast or crew took it seriously while they were filming it until it became a smash hit and went on to generate 11 more movies, video games, and countless other media. Not too bad.

10. Pink Panther

Total films: 11
Total runtime: 1,115 minutes = 18 hours, 35 minutes

Films:

The Pink Panther (1963)
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
Inspector Clouseau (1968)
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
Son of the Pink Panther (1993)
The Pink Panther (2006)
The Pink Panther 2 (2009)

The mystery-comedy series focusing on the bumbling Inspector Clouseau launched in the 60s during the mod era. In a note that might surprise some, the “Pink Panther” originally was not the name of the literal animated Pink Panther we know now but referred to the giant pink diamond Clouseau chased down in the first and subsequent films. While the animated character was featured in the opening sequence from the first movie, he didn’t get his own animated series until 1969.

9. Harry Potter Universe

Total films: 10
Total runtime: 1,446 minutes = 1 day, 6 minutes

Films:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

The world of Harry Potter was one of the rare times that the movies were just as good as, and in some cases, better, than the books on which they were based. When J.K. Rowling published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in (Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S.) in 1997, it kicked off a wave of reading for an entirely new generation and helped usher in the genre-heavy era we’ve been in since. Many YA franchises have tried to replicate Harry Potter’s success but none have succeeded. It stands alone in its quality and in how beloved it is.

8. X-Men

Total films: 12
Total runtime: 1,459 minutes = 1 day, 19 minutes

Films:

X-Men (2000)
X2 (2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
The Wolverine (2013)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Deadpool (2016)
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Logan (2017)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Dark Phoenix (2019)

The X-Men franchise has been hit-or-miss over the years, with some movies being incredible examples of what’s possible with comic book movies and others being, well…the example of what not to do. Nevertheless, it’s been chugging for two decades thanks in large part to Hugh Jackman’s definitive role of Logan/Wolverine, the anchor and soul of the franchise. With it now back in the hands of Marvel, it will be interesting to see where it goes from here – especially what happens to the motormouthed, R-rated Wade Wilson. We’ll have a better idea of that when The New Mutants hit theaters.

7. Star Wars

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) battle in the rain in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (Courtesy: Lucasfilm)

Total films: 11
Total runtime: 1,500 minutes = 1 day, 1 hour

Films (in chronological order, not release order):

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Arguably the most beloved and influential film franchise of all time, there have been many debates over the years on the proper Star Wars movie viewing order. However, for my money, you can’t go wrong than a straightforward chronological watch starting with the prequels and ending with Rise of Skywalker.

6. Star Trek

Total films: 13
Total runtime: 1,517 minutes = 1 day, 1 hour, 17 minutes

Films:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek Generations (1994)
First Contact (1996)
Insurrection (1998)
Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Star Trek Beyond (2016)

The other “Star” franchise has seen its ups and downs over the years – you might have heard of the Star Trek Movie Curse, where it’s generally held that the even-numbered movies are good and the odd-numbered movies are not. Still, you have plenty of time. It’s time to give those movies a rewatch (or a first watch) and see how they land this time. Be like Kirk and Picard – boldly go where no one has gone before. Even if where you’re going is straight to your couch.

5. Batman

Christian Bale in ‘Batman Begins’ (Courtesy: Warner Bros.)

Total films: 12
Total runtime: 1,690 minutes = 1 day, 4 hours, 10 minutes

Note: I included the 1940s serialized movies, which skews the total because they’re each almost 4 1/2 hours long. The total runtime would be much shorter without.

Films:

Batman (1943)
Batman and Robin (1949)
Batman: The Movie (1966)
Batman (1989)
Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Justice League (2017)

The brooding Caped Crusader has been keeping us entertained since the 1940s, and played by a rotating cast of actors. Much like with James Bond, some of the actors have made the character their own and others, not so much. Two words: Bat nipples. Poor George Clooney. We expect much better things from Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman and we’re dying to see what the ultra-talented Robert Pattinson does in the role.

4. Zatoichi (Original Series)

Total films: 26
Total runtime: 2,289 minutes = 1 day, 14 hours, 9 minutes

Films:

The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962)
New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)
Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)
Zatoichi on the Road (1963)
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964)
Zatoichi’s Flashing Sword (1964)
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (1964)
Adventures of Zatoichi (1964)
Zatoichi’s Revenge (1965)
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (1965)
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
Zatoichi’s Vengeance (1966)
Zatoichi’s Pilgrimage (1966)
Zatoichi’s Cane Sword (1967)
Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)
Zatoichi Challenged (1967)
Zatoichi and the Fugitives (1968)
Samaritan Zatoichi (1968)
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
Zatoichi at Large (1972)
Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
Zatoichi’s Conspiracy (1973)
Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1983)

One of Japan’s longest-running film and TV franchises tells the story of Zatoichi, the blind blademaster and masseur. Set during the Edo times, it’s a romp of martial arts, action and some comedy, with plenty of kung fu thrown in. If you’re a sucker for the genre, you need to check this one out. The movies are all themselves fairly short so you can easily get through a handful in one sitting.

3. Marvel Cinematic Universe

A poster for ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (Courtesy: Marvel Studios)

Total films: 23
Total runtime: 2,996 minutes = 2 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes

Films:

Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

The franchise that will surely one day surpass Star Wars as the most loved franchise of this generation, the Marvel Cinematic Universe changed what we thought of comic book movies. We lived and died with the Avengers in the last two team-up movies, and even though we already know the ultimate fate of Natasha Romanoff, we’re counting down the days until Black Widow‘s release and the rest of the Phase 4 movies.

2. James Bond

Daniel Craig is James Bond in ‘Skyfall’ (Credit: Sony/MGM).

Total films: 25
Total runtime: 3,176 minutes = 2 days, 4 hours, 56 minutes

Note: Some people might debate over whether or not to include 1967’s Casino Royale and 1983’s Never Say Never Again as, though they’re technically James Bond films, they’re not Eon film and so aren’t considered to be James Bond canon. I decided to split the difference and include Never Say Never Again as it features Connery as Bond, but leave off Casino Royale as it’s a spoof. Just keep in mind that the former isn’t canon.

Films:

Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Octopussy (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
The Living Daylights (1987)
License to Kill (1989)
GoldenEye (1995)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Die Another Day (2002)
Casino Royale (2006)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Skyfall (2012)
Spectre (2015)

James Bond. The man, the myth, the martini drinker. He is the world’s most famous spy, the quintessential secret agent who makes us want to drive fast cars, live dangerously, and foil plans to take over the world. No Time to Die will be Daniel Craig’s fifth and final appearance in the role of 007 and we’re looking forward to seeing what he and director Cary Fukunaga have cooked up for us with its new release date in November.

1. Godzilla

(Credit: WB)

Total films: 35
Total runtime: 3,459 minutes = 2 days, 13 hours, 39 minutes

Films (American films marked by **):

Godzilla (1954)
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
Son of Godzilla (1967)
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
All Monsters Attack (1969)
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
The Return of Godzilla (1984)
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
**Godzilla (1998)
Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
**Godzilla (2014)
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)
**Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Our giant boy has been stomping buildings and fighting bad kaiju for what seems like forever. He’s fought just about every kaiju in existence, whether organic, alien, or robot. He truly is the King of the Monsters, but we’ll find out if he keeps his crown or loses it this November when Godzilla vs. Kong hits theaters.

Editorial