With Iron Man 3’s massive weekend at the box office, the summer movie season officially has lifted off. There’s a lot more where that came from.
You'd be forgiven if, at some point this summer, you looked up at the marquee of your local multiplex and thought you had suddenly been warped back in time. An Iron Man movie? A Hangover? A Star Trek? Haven't you seen those already?
Absolutely. And don't be surprised to see some more, either.
Hollywood's major studios have largely become franchise factories, with business plans based on finding hot properties and then re-creating them as many times as the public will allow. The approach has paid off financially; in 2012, seven of the top 10 box office earners were sequels, led by Marvel's The Avengers.
This summer alone, 17 sequels are set to hit the box office, led by last weekend's Iron Man 3. Here is your guide to all of Hollywood's active big franchises, including how much they cost and how much they made. All financial data courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com. The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
Disney/Marvel/Pixar
Avengers
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smulders, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston
Worldwide Box Office: $1.51 billion
Production Budget: $220 million
Next Movie: 2015
Iron Man
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau
Worldwide Box Office: $585 million; $623 million; $680 million (in one week!)
Production Budget: $140 million; $200 million; $200 million
Next Movie: TBD
Captain America
Stars: Chris Evans, Dominic Cooper, Haley Atwell
Worldwide Box Office: $368 million
Production Budget: $140 million
Next Movie: April 2014
Thor
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
Worldwide Box Office: $449 million
Production Budget: $150 million
Next Movie: November 2013
Cars
Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy
Worldwide Box Office: $461 million; $559 million
Production Budget: $120 million; $200 million
Next Movie: TBD
Monsters Inc./University
Stars: John Goodman, Billy Crystal
Worldwide Box Office: $562 million
Production Budget: $115 million
Next Movie: June 2013
Finding Nemo
Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks
Worldwide Box Office: $921 million
Production Budget: $94 million
Next Movie: 2015
The Muppets
Stars: Jason Segel, Amy Adams (first film), Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey
Worldwide Box Office: $158 million
Production Budget: $45 million
Next Movie: March 2014
Note: The Star Wars franchise was bought by Disney late last year, and will be continued afresh.