Every Single Harry Potter, Star Wars & Lord Of The Rings Film, Ranked By Box Office Mojo

Leaving the MCU to the side for a moment, there are arguably three franchises that have remained the biggest in film history for a number of years: Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Lord Of The Rings. Each has a devoted fanbase with separate claims as to why it is their favorite of the bunch which is the best. No matter the quality of a film, it is, at the end of the day, money that talks.

We’ve used Box Office Mojo to rank every single main-series entry into the worlds of Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter, basing their position on how much money they made worldwide.

20 Star Wars: Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi ($475,347,111)

Sadly, one of the best films on this list has to take a lowly bottom place due to the time period in which it was released and the slight decline in the quality of Star Wars after Episode V.

19 Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back ($557,785,544)

Despite widely being considered the greatest Star Wars film of all time, the simple fact that the film industry made a lot less money during the 1980s means that Empire sits around the half a billion mark worldwide.

18 Star Wars: Episode II: Attack Of The Clones ($653,779,970)

Considering The Phantom Menace is one of the highest-grossing films of all time, it speaks volumes of its quality that the direct follow-up is one of the most disappointing Star Wars films at the box office.

17 Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope ($775,521,394)

It’s strange to think of a world in which a Star Wars film isn’t a sequel, but to the audience of 1977, Star Wars was something brand new.

The film was a massive hit and formed one of the biggest media franchises of all time.

16 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban ($796,783,363)

While it is often considered to be the best Harry Potter film from a critical perspective, The Prisoner Of Azkaban had its box office returns diminished slightly thanks to the underwhelming Chamber Of Secrets.

15 Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith ($868,390,560)

Attack Of The Clones might have put a damper on the Star Wars prequels, but fans showed up in their millions for a film they knew would show the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader.

14 Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring ($887,840,886)

The Lord Of The Rings books had been fan-favorites since way before Star Wars or Harry Potter had even been dreamt up, but a big-budget adaptation had yet to come. The returns on this film prove how ready audiences were for it.

13 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets ($895,860,534)

After the huge success of The Philosopher’s Stone, audiences flocked to cinemas to see its follow up. Obviously it had turned some viewers away, though, as this film marked quite a dip in profits.

12 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire ($896,354,649)

It seems that the box office performance is all about the quality of the film before. The Goblet Of Fire came after audiences realized that the Wizarding World could be funny, dark, and gripping thanks to the brilliance of The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

11 Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince ($934,335,712)

Readers of the Harry Potter book series were all well-aware that The Half-Blood Prince was going to show Snape’s betrayal and the death of Albus Dumbledore.

However, those same book fans had already read The Deathly Hallows and knew of Snape’s true affiliations, making this film even more appealing.

10 Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix ($942,049,682)

Much like The Half-Blood Prince, many fans went into The Order Of The Phoenix knowing that Sirius Black’s time was almost up. The impressive returns on this film were also partially thanks to how well-loved The Goblet Of Fire ended up being.

9 Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers ($951,213,658)

Unlike Star Wars and Harry Potter, the money made by the Lord Of The Rings franchise was exponential. Fans flocked to see The Two Towers after the spectacle that was The Fellowship Of The Ring.

8 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 ($980,796,121)

The two-part finale to the Harry Potter franchise really begs the question of whether it really needed to be split into two parts. Having said that, money talks, and part one alone made almost a billion dollars.

7 Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone ($1,001,732,101)

After the Harry Potter novel series made such an impact around the world, it was only a matter of time before they were turned into a huge film franchise. The Philosopher’s Stone made an exceptional amount of money around the world.

6 Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace ($1,027,082,707)

The original Star Wars trilogy is a near-perfect example of cinematic excellence, and as such, audiences were delighted with the idea of finding out about Anakin’s early life and the Jedi at the height of their power.

5 Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker ($1,074,144,248)

The Rise Of Skywalker has been about as divisive as The Phantom Menace in terms of quality. It also ended up being the least profitable of the Disney trilogy of films, despite promising the end of the entire Skywalker Saga.

4 Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King ($1,141,986,831)

The dramatic conclusion to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy is often considered to be one of the best films ever made, meaning its huge box office returns make a lot of sense.

3 Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi ($1,332,539,889)

Rian Johnson’s venture into the Star Wars universe was a juxtaposition of brilliance and abominations. Still, it was a new Star Wars film, so it was always going to make a boatload of money.

2 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($1,361,871,305)

Even those who had no interest in the Harry Potter franchise throughout its existence still wanted to be a part of the cultural landmark that was its conclusion.

1 Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624)

The Force Awakens makes the hype that once surrounded The Phantom Menace look like child’s play. This is the fourth highest-grossing film ever and one of just five films to break the $2 billion mark.