The Top 12 list of Highest Grossing Media Franchises is fascinating

[ChrisFL]

Two major things stand out to me...one, I had no idea Winnie the Pooh was that popular, two, Japanese anime (and other related Japanese media) is IMO only going to increase in popularity with younger generations and we may see theme parks pivot more toward that in the next decade or so.

 

[DodgerGirl]

When it came to popularity with kids anything Disney was popular but when the Disney Princess line debuted in 1992 Disney knew that with little girls anything Disney Princess was sure to be a hit and it's no secret why the Disney Princess franchise is still popular. But when kids got older and teens started getting into fads Japanese manga novels became huge with teens because they were unique and different and even today Japanese manga novels still ranks tops with teens and the 18+ audience. But why Pokemon is still a hit franchise is because they constantly add new Nintendo Switch Pokemon games and many people think Pokemon is the second biggest franchise next to Super Mario Brothers and you can blame the popularity of the Pokemon cartoon for starting the popularity of the Pokemon franchise. Then why Marvel is also a popular franchise is because everyone from kids to adults seem to love Marvel on anything and it's no secret why Marvel is a more popular franchise than DC. But one franchise that will never ever go away is Harry Potter and for some reason a lot of people seem to like Harry Potter and from the time the very first Harry Potter book was published little did we know that Harry Potter would turn into a huge franchise. And it has never stopped since with video games clothing plushies and toys and it goes to show why Harry Potter is still a successful franchise at the moment. I hope Percy Jackson gets more popular than Harry Potter as a franchise too

 

[HopperFan]

Two major things stand out to me...one, I had no idea Winnie the Pooh was that popular

Question is .... does that figure mean public domain of the original Pooh stories OR the Disney version that is protected by copyright and trademark. Or is it a figure that combines the both for general value purposes.

two, Japanese anime (and other related Japanese media) is IMO only going to increase in popularity with younger generations

Anime is an animation style .... not sure how you even put any kind of value on that. It's been around for many decades, I think it has it's fans but it is also a narrow art form. I think it will always have a strong presence but I don't think it will slide the scale on who is "in to it."

and we may see theme parks pivot more toward that in the next decade or so.

Theme parks are going to continue pivoting to featuring THEIR OWN IPs or those which they have very tight associations with.

Theme parks are built for their target market:

Disney is their movies, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Star Wars, Marvel, Princesses ...

Universal is theirs and close associates like Harry Potter, Mario (Nintendo), now Pokemon.

Sanrio (Hello Kitty) has it's own theme parks, again their IP.

Anpanman already has multiple entertainment locations.

Jump Comics (and Dragon Ball) entertainment parks have failed, but may have some future with Universal Japan. Potential success there.

I don't think all genres are good for all parks.

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[citruscurtis]

Winnie the Pooh had a cereal promotion in the 60s and ran for president in the 1968.... along with Snoopy and pat paulsen...so he has had a good start

 

[Southernmiss]

Don't understand estimate how popular these characters are in places like Japan.and how their purchases affect these numbers

There's quite a following for many of these and they are collectors of a lot of merchandise for their favorites.

 

[DodgerGirl]

The reason why Peanuts is still a popular franchise is because even though Charles Schultz has been dead since the 2000's is because people and kids like to collect anything Snoopy and Charlie Brown and it has grown into a giant franchise today and with Knott's Berry Farm still having Peanut themed attractions anything Peanuts still remains a huge hit. Winnie The Pooh is still a huge franchise even before Disney made Winnie The Pooh movies because in England Winnie The Pooh is second to Paddington Bear when it comes to franchises but most of the Winnie The Pooh fans are in the infant and toddler crowd but Winnie The Pooh does have adult and older kid fans. And with the Warner Bros characters the same thing can apply to Bugs Bunny because like Mickey Mouse Bugs Bunny is popular because he is the icon of Warner Bros franchising but in fantasy games like Dungeons And Dragons you can blame Dungeons And Dragons for the popularity of fantasy/role playing games which is why Magic The Gathering is a popular card gaming franchise that became a fad with teens and that is why so many role playing card games of Marvel and Harry Potter have launched fantasy/role playing card game franchises of their own

 

[BrianL]

What is amazing is if you add up all of the Disney on that list, it's $315.8B, which is impressive but not really that much higher than just Pokemon! Pokemon is a BEAST, and still super popular after all these years.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I disagree with anime being a narrow art form. Anime is HUGE now. I've watched in real time how anime has gone from being fairly niche to mainstream. There's a reason why Netflix is trying to make a live action adaptation of various shows.

It's also amazing how massive Pokemon is and yet the games are stale and boring. They know they'll make money anyway even if the games are bad, I guess.