There have been a number of dozen movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, going robust and releasing a number of movies nearly yearly since its starting in 2008. The MCU’s overwhelming quantity has impressed a number of conversations by pundits and critics, whereby they ponder the collection as one of many longest-running in cinema historical past. It’s, after all, on no account the longest. Certainly, a detailed research of cinema historical past will instantly reveal movie franchises that handily outstrip it.
One may instantly consider Godzilla, for example, a movie collection that has been chugging alongside fairly steadily since its debut in 1954. To this point, there have been 38 characteristic movies (in each Japan and America) within the “Godzilla” franchise. Some deep-cut kiddie-entertainment fans might be able to recall that there are already 43 animated films to star Mattel’s Barbie, and that is not even counting Greta Gerwig’s live-action blockbuster. These 43 films have been made between 2001 and the current.
When one delves into cinema historical past, one may discover that there are some old-timey Western franchises that stand above all of the others in each their prolificacy and their longevity. Moreover, delving into Japanese tokusatsu movies and martial arts films may also discover some franchises, characters, and tales which have installments numbering within the 90s and 100s.
Presently, the longest-running movie franchise in cinema historical past is the Wong Fei-Hung collection of movies, most of them made in Hong Kong, beginning in 1940. Wong Fei-Hung was an actual life martial artist who lived from 1847 to 1925, however he got here into cultural prominence because of the numerous, many films made about him. There are, up to now, 123 Gained Fei-Hung films.
The various, many Wong Fei-Hung films
After all, whether or not or not the Wong Fei-Hung films depend as a “franchise” is up for debate. Sure, there are 123 Gained Fei-Hung films, however they have not all been made by the identical manufacturing firm, they usually do not all comply with the identical continuity. As an illustration, Jackie Chan performed Wong (seen above) within the 1978 movie “Drunken Grasp,” and that movie has nothing to do with the six movies within the “As soon as Upon a Time in China” collection that starred Jet Li (and later, Vincent Zhao) as Wong. The “As soon as Upon a Time” collection, by the way, is commonly cited as the very best martial arts movie collection of all time.
Sammo Hung even performed Wong within the 2004 American remake of “Across the World in 80 Days.” Counting the Wong films as a single “franchise,” then, could also be doubtful. It could be like saying that each single adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is a part of the identical franchise. There are numerous, many Dracula films, however they are not all of a chunk. Additionally, as a result of Wong Fei-Hung is a folks hero, his tales are within the public area. As such, there isn’t a singular controlling company curiosity behind all the films, binding them collectively as a “franchise.”
One can, nevertheless, level to the numerous Wong Fei-Hung films that starred Kwan Tak-Hing as a single franchise. Kwan performed Wong Fei-Hung in at least 77 movies (although some could also be misplaced) starting in 1949 and lasting by means of the Nineteen Eighties. These movies all presumably comply with a single continuity, arguing that they’re the identical “franchise.” And whereas 77 is a far cry from the 123 movie in toto, it is nonetheless am impressively lengthy collection of movie.
Different collection, although, have that 77 document beat.
There are 90 Kamen Rider films
The TV collection “Kamen Rider” debuted on Japanese tv in 1971, and it has been returning into the general public eye periodically ever since. The very, very prolific collection has additionally spawned quite a few theatrical options, lots of them re-cut variations of TV episodes. Lots of the “Kamen Rider” films are shorts, however they actually depend, as they have been certainly launched in theaters. Like Godzilla, “Kamen Rider” is repeatedly rebooted for brand spanking new “eras,” and a deep-cut fan will be capable to inform you extra intently concerning the divisions and nuances of the assorted “Kamen Rider” generations.
The premise is enjoyable: Within the near-future, the world is within the grip of Shocker, an oppressive terrorist group based by ex-Nazis. Shocker has superior know-how that enables them to kidnap unsuspecting residents, brainwash them, and remodel them into cyborg slaves. The titular Kamen Rider was mutated (right into a part-grasshopper) and assimilated, however they escaped earlier than the brainwashing a part of the process. He grew to become a superhero who aimed to struggle and destroy Shocker. He was additionally keen on utilizing a bike, therefore the “Rider” a part of his title.
The primary Kamen Rider film, “Go! Go! Kamen Rider,” was launched in 1971. The newest Kamen Rider movie, “Kamen Rider 555 twentieth: Paradise Regained,” was launched in 2024. American audiences could also be accustomed to Hideako Anno’s 2023 reboot of the collection “Shin Kamen Rider,” a movie that rests in the identical filmmaking ethos as Anno’s “Shin Ultraman” and “Shin Godzilla.” Like Godzilla, there is not a single, strong Kamen Rider continuity, however in contrast to the Wong Fei-Hung films, they’re all overseen by a single company entity. Due to this fact, Kamen Rider is the longest-running movie franchise of all time.
The longest-running American movie franchise
The longest-running American movie collection is probably going the 72 film-long collection of Westerns starring Roy Rogers, launched from 1938 to 1951. Roy Rogers, after all, was a prolific and widespread cowboy performer who was greatest recognized for rodeo exhibits, cowboy songs, and his horse, Set off. His collection, “The Roy Rogers Present,” was one of the widespread of its day, and he popularized the music “Pleased Trails,” which many people know merely by means of cultural osmosis. We’ve additionally internalized “Yippiee-Ki-Yay,” because of Rogers. (No, John McClane did not invent it.) The 72 Roy Rogers films have been all put out by Republic Photos, they usually all appear to comply with a singular continuity.
The Roy Rogers films would be the longest-running collection of movies put out by a single studio, following the identical actor, and going down in the identical continuity. Roy Rogers all the time performed the people model of himself.
The primary Roy Rogers film was “Beneath Western Stars,” and it was about Roy battling evil water-controlling fats cats who needed to cost farmers for utilizing their utilities for farming. Roy Rogers wasn’t grizzled or a gun-slinging badass however a noble, light, bland hero in a white hat. In 1944, within the movie “Cowboy and the Señorita,” Rogers was joined by his longtime associate Dale Evans. Roy and Dale would marry in 1947 and would keep married till her demise in 1998. The 72nd and ultimate Roy Rogers film was “Buddies of the Golden West,” launched in 1951.
72 movies from 1938 to 1951 averages out to about 5.5 movies a 12 months. These pundits who discuss concerning the intensive nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would do properly to recollect the busy cinematic lifetime of Roy Rogers.
