As far asFandomis concerned, entertainment in 2024 was ruled by video games. The fan-generated entertainment and gaming resource platform known for its collection of wikis has compiled lists of the top entertainment franchises of the year utilizing its first-party data to calculate a score weighted against five criteria — Worldbuilding, High Critical and Fan Ratings, Fierce Fanbase, Cultural Relevance, and Consistency. Among the top 20 overall franchises, 75% of the list wasmade up of gaming properties, with the tabletop multimedia franchiseWarhammertaking the #1 spot. Movies and television weren’t completely left in the dust, however, asMarvelcontinued its dominance by placing at #4 and landing at or near the top of the film and television lists.
This marked the first time in Fandom’s history that gaming took a majority of the top spots at all, let alone by such a wide margin. Notable names near the top include the ever-popular survival crafting gameTerrariaat #2, the MOBA giantLeague of Legendsat #3, which also benefitted fromthe recent release ofArcaneSeason 2, the long-running RPG seriesFinal Fantasyat #5, which debuted the Game of the Year-nominatedFinal Fantasy VII: RebirthandDawntrail, thelatest expansion to the critically-acclaimedFinal Fantasy XIV, andFallout, which shot to #7 with the release of the new television series. Though best known for its tabletop entries,Warhammeralso benefitted from a new video game —Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2— making its chart debut atop the video game list. The medium thrived this year, especially thanks to the relative lack of major franchise film and television entries followinglast year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikesand the continued prominence of the biggest names in gaming. Even smaller projects, like the rising star indie survival titleCore Keeper, managed to crack the overall lineup.
The success of gaming also began to bleed into the non-gaming charts. With so much anticipation forArcaneSeason 2, theLeague of Legendsseries’semotional finalerocketed the show to the very top of the television chart, beating out not just Marvel, but also the fourth placeStar Warsin a year that saw the release ofThe Acolyteand, more recently,SkeletonCrewand other enduring franchises likeThe Walking DeadandDoctor Who. The aforementionedFalloutmade its television debut at #3 fresh off ofbreaking records and earning Emmy nominationsgalore with theElla Purnell-led adaptation at Prime Video, while Paramount+‘sSonic the Hedgehog’s Knucklesmade it in at #6 andCyberpunkclocked in at #7, perhaps thanks to the confirmation ofa new series based onCyberpunk 2077. With the upcoming release ofSonic the Hedgehog 3, the blue blur also shot to #4 on the film chart, assuring that every major list featured at least one gaming franchise.
The MCU Reclaimed Its Crown Among Television and Film Franchises
Jockeying among the five remaining spots on the overall list was a mix of television, film, and anime titles, with Marvel joined byOne Piece,Naruto,Game of Thrones, andYu-Gi-Oh!. To no surprise, the MCU came in at the top of the movie franchise top ten afterDeadpool & Wolverinedominated much of the conversation throughout the summer. Buzz surrounding upcoming releases likeThunderbolts*,The Fantastic Four: First Steps,Avengers: Doomsday, andthe fourthSpider-Manmovie withTom Hollandalso contributed to its ranking.Ryan ReynoldsandHugh Jackman’s reference-packed sendoff of the Fox era of superhero films wasn’t all the MCU had to offer in 2024 though, as the releases ofEchoand especially themagically well-receivedAgatha All Alongpowered it to #2 on the television list as well, behind onlyArcane.
Marvel’s dominance of the film list finally dethronedStar Warsafter two years of the juggernaut sci-fi franchise as the top dog. The rest of the film and television lists, meanwhile, are made up of franchises with new installments and evergreen legacy series.The Lord of the Ringsplaced on both rankings at fifth and third respectively with the release ofThe Rings of PowerSeason 2 earlier this year andThe War of the Rohirrimcoming next week. The MCU’s superhero rival, the DC Extended Universe, also earned a film chart nod withthe excitement aroundSupermanand the rest ofJames GunnandPeter Safran’s plans, but not a television spot despite the launch ofCreature Commandos. One of the sillier list debuts wasWinnie the Pooh. The honey-loving bear barely made a surprise film franchise appearance at #10 powered by not just the official Disney properties, butthe Twisted Childhood Universeand, specifically, theBlood and Honeyfilms.
Check out the full lists of Fandom’s top franchises for 2024 in the gallery above.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Wolverine joins the “merc with a mouth” in the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise.
