India, Feb. 13 -- Film franchises may be all the rage right now in Hollywood, but they are time-tested tradition. Sequels and spinoffs to popular films have been made for over nine decades in cinema. Many of these have developed into franchises that have made billions, not just millions, at the box office. The highest-grossing of them all is so successful that it has made more money than all Star Wars, Harry Potter, and James Bond put together. (Also read: India's highest-grossing film franchise made Rs.2900 crore at box office; it's not Baahubali, Pushpa, Cop Universe, KGF)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, comprising of several individual film series and spinoffs, is by far, the largest and highest-grossing film franchise in the history o...