My mission today is to take some of the prominent and/or rising universes and figure out which one is the best or most worthwhile to get into. First thing's first, we have to define what a cinematic universe is. My definition here is a series of interconnected story lines in film that share a central plane of existence. Let's break that down. First, these are multiple story lines that are connected, so long-running franchises like the Fast & Furious aren't included because there's only one story line. Having one spin-off movie like Tokyo Drift isn't enough for me to say there's a Fast universe. Star Wars gets kind of tricky for me because on the one hand, Phantom Menace to The Last Jedi (and beyond) should be considered one franchise. It's the same story being told all the way through. But with the inclusion of Rogue One and several other off-shoot movies tied to Star Wars, it's enough for me to deem it a cinematic universe. The second part in the definition is that it has to be in film. So right off the bat I'm not going to be talking about Marvel's shows on ABC or Netflix or about any of DC's shows on the CW. And the last part of the definition is that these movies have to be tied in together by something concrete. I don't want to have to speculate whether a movie is They don't necessarily have to meet in a crossover movie, but it helps.
Now that we got that out of the way it's time to look at some current cinematic universes and see who is doing it best. We'll be going through some criteria and awarding points based on it. Some of the criteria is objective with some heavy research involved; some is subjective because I know what I'm talking about. The contending CU's are:
Marvel Cinematic Universe: movies based on the Marvel Comics owned by Disney starting with Iron Man. It includes the characters featured in the Avengers such as Captain America, Hulk and Thor, as well as characters such as Ant-Man and Doctor Strange.
DC Extended Universe: movies based on the DC Comics starting with the Superman reboot movie, Man of Steel. Includes Wonder Woman, Justice League, and Suicide Squad.
X-Men Universe: movies based on X-Men characters owned by 20th Century Fox. Includes all the X-Men movies, Wolverine movies and Deadpool.
Dark Universe: movies based on the original Universal Studios movie monsters starting with Tom Cruise's The Mummy. Will also include characters like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as the Wolf Man.
Star Wars Saga: movies set in George Lucas' universe starting from A New Hope and including spin-off movies such as Rogue One and the yet-to-be released Han Solo movie.
Alien Universe: movies set in Ridley Scott's universe starting from Alien and including its sequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Does not include the Alien vs. Predator films.
Kaiju-verse: movies based on the Kaiju monsters currently being developed by Legendary Entertainment. Includes Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island and is connected by the fictional government agency Monarch. Is set to include a Godzilla vs. Kong film.
Conjuring Universe: movies based on the universe created by James Wan that includes both Conjuring movies, both Annabelle movies, and an upcoming Nun movie.
Wizarding World: movies based on the books written by Rowling including the Harry Potter franchise and its spin-offs like Fantastic Beasts.
So now that you know who is contending, let's find out who has the best CU. I will be going over several criteria and awarding points based on it. 9 is the highest a universe can attain per category. At the end I will add the scores up. The highest score is the best cinematic universe.
Average Rotten Tomatoes Score
This category is pretty simple if you know rudimentary math and are patient enough to sort through dozens of movie review pages. Though using Rotten Tomatoes isn't an exact to determine whether a movie is good or not, it does give an idea of how well it was received by critics. In a surprise upset, the J.K.-verse led this category due to a consistent effort from Sorcerer's Stone to Fantastic Beasts. Some universes like MCU, Star Wars, and Alien had films with higher scores but ultimately payed for having sub-par movies in their catalog.
Wizarding World:
Avg. RT Score: 83.3 Highest Rated Film: Deathly Hollows Part 2 Score: 9
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 82.3 Highest Rated Film: Iron Man Score: 8
Star Wars Saga:
Avg. RT Score: 80.5 Highest Rated Film: The Empire Strikes Back Score: 7
Kaiju-verse:
Avg. RT Score: 75 Highest Rated Film: King Kong: Skull Island Score: 6
X-Men Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 73.4 Highest Rated Film: Logan Score: 5
Alien Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 72.8 Highest Rated Film: Aliens Score: 4
Conjuring Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 65.5 Highest Rated Film: The Conjuring Score: 3
DC Extended Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 49.8 Highest Rated Film: Wonder Woman Score: 2
Dark Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 16 Highest Rated Film: The Mummy Score: 1
Biggest Box Office Success
Movie reviews aren't the only way you can look at success in regards to film. Show biz is still a business and nothing says success quite like fat revenue numbers. Because I don't want to look up every films' box office numbers, do some algebra, and give you an average box office pull, I'll instead rank each universe by its biggest box office success. And yes, I did account for inflation.
Star Wars Saga:
Highest Grossing Film: Star Wars Adj. Box Office: $1.26 Billion Score: 9 Total Score: 16
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: The Avengers Adj. Box Office: $683 Million Score: 8 Total Score: 16
Wizarding World:
Highest Grossing Film: Sorcerer's Stone Adj. Box Office: $497 Million Score: 7 Total Score: 16
DC Extended Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: Wonder Woman Adj. Box Office: $409 Million Score: 6 Total Score: 8
X-Men Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: Deadpool Adj. Box Office: $375 Million Score: 5 Total Score: 10
Alien Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: Alien Adj. Box Office: $279 Million Score: 4 Total Score: 8
Kaiju-verse:
Highest Grossing Film: Godzilla Adj. Box Office: $214 Million Score: 3 Total Score: 9
Conjuring Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: The Conjuring Adj. Box Office: $155 Million Score: 2 Total Score: 5
Dark Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: The Mummy Adj. Box Office: $80 Score: 1 Total Score: 2
Hit/Bomb Ratio
This category is a bit more subjective but is based on numbers. I like to reward movie success and punish for failures. Thus, I have created a hit to bomb ratio. The higher the ratio the better the score. A true hit is any film that gets a score of 90 or higher in Rotten Tomatoes. A bomb is any movie that has a score less than 50 on Rotten Tomatoes. (I'm looking for the green rotten tomatoes here.) If a movie is on the edge then I'll make a judgement call.
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 6/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 9 Total Score: 25
Star Wars Saga:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 3/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 8 Total Score: 24
Wizarding World:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 2/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 7 Total Score: 23
Alien Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 2/1 Biggest Bomb: Alien 3 Score: 6 Total Score: 14
X-Men Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 2/2 Biggest Bomb: X-Men Origins: Wolverine Score: 5 Total Score: 15
Kaiju-verse:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 0/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 4 Total Score: 13
DC Extended Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 1/2 Biggest Bomb: Suicide Squad Score: 3 Total Score: 11
Conjuring Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 0/1 Biggest Bomb: Annabelle Score: 2 Total Score: 7
Dark Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 0/1 Biggest Bomb: The Mummy Score: 2 Total Score: 4
John C. Riley Usage Rating
John C. Riley is a delight and universes should be rewarded for utilizing his talent to make their movies better. A single point was given for the mere presence of Riley. From there I added points for his usage in the film. If he was used correctly the universe was rewarded the full 9 points. After vigorously studying his IMDb paged I found he only had appearances in MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy and Kaiju's Kong: Skull Island. In Guardians, John C. Riley plays Corpsman Dey and he's fine in that. He has his moments and he conjures up a few chuckles but ultimately you forget about him. It's like having Rudy Gobert on your team but only using him for jump balls. Now, in Skull Island John C. really shines. Despite the film's billing order, he is the true star of the movie, other than Kong.
Kaiju-verse:
JCR Usage Rating: 9 Total Score: 22
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 3 Total Score: 28
Star Wars Saga:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 24
Wizarding World:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 23
X-Men Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 15
Alien Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 14
DC Extended Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 11
Conjuring Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 7
Dark Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 4
Universe Clarity
This category looks at how easy it is for the average moviegoer to figure out the film he or she is watching is part of a larger cinematic universe. If it's very easy to figure out then the universe will get the full 9 points. The less clear the cinematic universe is, the less points it will receive. Multiple universes can receive perfect scores in this category. Characters crossing over, as well as common organizations, themes or events certainly help the case. Easter eggs also bolster the score.
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
I mean, they basically shove this down your throat. This universe has it all from characters crossing over to other characters' movies to straight up ensemble flicks. The main MCU characters are tied through the fictional agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rest are connected to the Avengers in some way or another. Even films like Guardians of the Galaxy, which to this point haven't had any interaction with the rest of the MCU, are still linked to the rest of the Universe thanks to the infinity stones. Of course, we can't forget to mention the immortal Stan Lee cameos.
Clarity Points: 9 Total Score: 37
Star Wars Saga:
There's the main saga and then there's Rogue One. As of right now Rogue One is the only Star Wars film released not part of the main saga. That's all we really have to go on at this point. So how clear is it that Rogue One is part of this expanding universe? Very! Aside from the various mentions of Jedi and the Force, the main story centers on the mission to get the plans to destroy the Death Star. You know, the thing they destroy in the first Star Wars. Darth Vader and other memorable characters also pop in to see what's up. As expected it's also loaded with Easter eggs such as Jyn's childhood toys.
Clarity Points: 9 Total Score: 33
Wizarding World:
The central thing tying the Harry Potter movies, Fantastic Beasts and movies that will follow is the wizarding world. Specifically with Fantastic Beasts, it's a film based on a text book that Harry and crew had read at Hogwarts. Words, themes and places that show up in the Harry's world show up here, like "muggle" and "Ministry of Magic". Newt, Fantastic Beasts main character and author of the textbook of the same name, is close with Dumbledore. There's a bunch of Easter eggs like a scarf that reveals Newt was a Hufflepuff. (I didn't need the scarf to figure that one out.)
Clarity Points: 9 Total Score: 32
X-Men Universe:
Even without Wolverine showing up in every film, minus Deadpool, it's impossible not to know that these films are part of one universe. The main characters are mostly the same, though sometimes younger in the prequel movies. There's usually some mention of the X-Men in some capacity. Hell, Deadpool straight up drops a visit to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. So this should be a perfect score, but I'm going to dock it a single point. Here's why: I saw Xavier die in X-Men: The Last Stand. (A very bad movie.) But then at the beginning of Days of Future Past he's alive again. (A very good movie.) Doesn't sound very clear to me.
Clarity Points: 8 Total Score: 23
Alien Universe:
All the alien movies, minus Prometheus, feature the xenomorphs. The first four movies featured Sigourney Weaver as Ripley while the latest two, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, don't. Those two movies take place before the events of Alien and are supposed to explain how the xenomorphs came to be. Today it's pretty clear that all these movies fall within the same universe, with the android David being in both prequel movies. But at the time Prometheus was released I remember a lot of people not knowing that the film was set in the same universe as Ridley Scott's masterpiece. I thought it was clear; the ship they find in Alien is the same one they find in Prometheus. There were more subtle Easter eggs that didn't pop off the screen. I appreciated that, but maybe people like being spoon-fed information. Maybe Ridley Scott should have named this movie Alien: Prometheus. I don't know. All I know is people didn't think it was clear enough so I took off some points.
Clarity Points: 7 Total Score: 21
DC Extended Universe:
You might be thinking, "How did this not get a perfect score? Like it or not, the DC Universe is clearly a universe." You are not incorrect. There's no question that DC has created a cinematic universe that crosses over several films. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman all appeared in Batman v. Superman. Justice League will feature Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Aquaman. Their movies are littered with Easter eggs. I give them all that. It's very clear. Almost too clear. So clear, they can't remove the stench of Suicide Squad. I'm no Hollywood exec, but after screening Suicide Squad my first and only priority would be to distance that movie from the rest of the DC Extended Universe. So yeah, I'm deducting points.
Clarity Points: 7 Total Score: 18
Conjuring Universe:
At this moment they only have four films out but the people behind this universe are building a solid foundation. Obviously The Conjuring 2 is a sequel to The Conjuring. And obviously Annabelle: Creation is a prequel to Annabelle. Annabelle, the doll, is featured in the Warren's showroom in the Conjuring. There aren't a whole lot of Easter eggs, but the most noticeable one is the picture of the nun in Sister Charlotte's room in Creation. It's the same nun that attacks the Warrens in The Conjuring 2. But there's no characters crossing over between the two film series. I appreciate subtlety but not when it comes to cinematic universes. I want loud and proud!
Clarity Points: 5 Total Score: 12
Dark Universe:
This is where I point out that 1) the Dark Universe only has one movie released (The Mummy) and 2) I have not seen said movie. I'm not even sure I plan to. I mean the movie got such bad reviews. I saw a headline that asked the question: is The Mummy the worst movie of all time? Whether it is or not, the fact that the question was even asked speaks volumes about the quality of the movie. That said I've read a lot about the movie plot itself and how it lays the foundation for a movie universe. Other than the titular mummy, other characters that appear, most notably Dr. Jekyll who is the founder of Prodigium, a secret organization that studies and defeats evil beings. I would venture that this organization will play a big part in any future movies. Apparently there's also a logo in the pre-credits that reads "Dark Universe". I can't give it full points since there is literally only one movie, but it has a fucking logo. Clear enough for you?
Clarity Points: 5 Total Score: 9
Kaiju-verse:
There's only two movies so far but they feature some pretty memorable characters, King Kong and Godzilla. Neither of the two movies feature the same characters, but that's partly because Godzilla is set in the present and Skull Island is set in the 1970's. What the movies do have in common is the agency Monarch. Monarch is an organization that studies and tracks prehistoric monsters like Godzilla and Kong. Monarch appears in both movies. Unless you're a person who obsesses over cinematic universes like I do, you probably didn't connect the dots. My dad had no idea the two movies were connected until I told him. Even then he thought it was a stretch.
Clarity Points: 3 Total Points: 25
Future Outlook
This last category looks at upcoming films for each universe. Points are rewarded for having movies planned or in development. They are deducted if the franchise is having issues with the development of their universe as you'll see some are having. I like expanding universes, so the more spin-offs the better. I'm also factoring intrigue of the future products. A universe may have multiple projects on the horizon but if people aren't excited to see it then what good does that serve? This will be a ranked category with the movie with the best outlook receiving the full 9 points and the worst receiving 1. This is for all the marbles.
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
MCU really likes to plan ahead. They are set to the next decade with no signs of any major hiccups. Currently they are in the midst of Phase 3, which started with Captain America: Civil War. The next movie up is Thor: Ragnarok followed by Black Panther. Both movies appear to be must-sees. Hulk appears in the latest Thor movie and Black Panther is directed by Oakland native Ryan Coogler. Looking further, the execs have Infinity Wars on deck, which should finally have the the infinity stones come into play. Then after that we're looking at Ant-Man & the Wasp, which I'm pleased about. Lastly, at least for now, Captain Marvel will finally be released in 2019. This is a strong lineup that will continue to grow.
Outlook Points: 9 Total Points: 46
X-Men Universe:
It's a pretty exciting time to be an X-Men fan. In 2018 they'll drop New Mutants, which is exactly what you think it is: a bunch of fresh-faced, gifted youngsters. Deadpool 2 will hopefully build on its major success; it cast Josh Brolin as Cable. Then we'll all be treated to Dark Phoenix in late 2018, which, fingers crossed, won't be The Last Stand. There's also rumors of a stand-alone movie about Gambit, but that's still being worked out. In addition to all that there's a possibility of an X-Force movie in 2019.
Outlook Points: 8 Total Points: 31
Star Wars Saga:
Here's what they got going for them: The Last Jedi coming up this winter, a young Han Solo movie starring Alden Ehrenreich, and the yet to be titled episode 9 of the main saga. There's even a rumored Boba Fett film in the works. Unfortunately the execs are switching directors like Kevin Durant switches burner Twitter accounts. Directors Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Collin Trevorrow have all at some point been slated to direct a Star Wars film and fired. Now, that's not going to throw this saga off the rails; the brain trust has enlisted J.J. Abrams to direct episode 9 which is a sturdy choice. But it's not a great look either.
Outlook Points: 7 Total Points: 40
DC Extended Universe:
There's been a lot of talk of whether Warner Bros. would continue with the DC Universe because of the lack of success its had compared to Marvel. In my honest opinion, Wonder Woman needed to be great for this universe to have any chance. It was, and I think that's a good, albeit late, start. But lately I've read that Warner Bros. is rethinking its strategy. After Justice League DC will put more emphasis on stand-alone films and less emphasis on ensemble movies. They're also splitting up DC movies into two categories: movies within the universe and movies independent of the universe. (The Joker origin story is rumored to be, like David S. Pumpkins, its own thing.) Still, the movies it has rumored to be released are a solid bunch. Basically everyone from Justice League will have a stand-alone film, including a sequel to Wonder Woman. Unfortunately for everyone, that includes a sequel to Suicide Squad.
Outlook Points: 6 Total Points: 24
Kaiju-verse:
So far this monster universe has two movies released and two movies planned. First, there's Godzilla: King of Monsters. I'm guessing this movie will feature Godzilla fighting a bunch of monsters and being king of all of them. The movie after is a big one: Godzilla vs. King Kong. I don't know about you, but I'll pay top dollar to see those two duke it out in a loser-leaves-town battle. There isn't anything officially planned beyond that, but depending on which monsters show up for King of Monsters there's ripe opportunities for more monster spin-offs.
Outlook Points: 5 Total Points: 30
Conjuring Universe:
This universe has been set up pretty good for future projects. First it will expand the universe with The Nun. That film will be about the evil nun that shows up in The Conjuring 2. It will be set before the events of Annabelle: Creation. Then comes The Crooked Man, which will be based on the scary creature that briefly appears in The Conjuring 2. Lastly, they'll release The Conjuring 3 and keep up with the Warrens. The Conjuring Universe isn't as big as the comic book universes so it makes sense that they're not rolling out phases, but they do well with what they got.
Outlook Points: 4 Total Points: 16
Wizarding World:
As far as I know, we'll be seeing Newt again in Fantastic Beasts 2. This series is said to be five movies in total, though so far only the first sequel has been announced. That's fine, but I need more. I'll take a movie about another Hogwarts textbook if that's what necessary. Show me a The Big Short-esque film about Gringotts Bank. Shit, I'll settle for a Young Sheldon-esque movie about young Snape. Just give me more.
Outlook Points: 3 Total Points: 35
Dark Universe:
The Dark Universe got off to a terrible start. I wouldn't blame them if studio heads at Universal gave up on this venture all together. But to my knowledge they are moving forward. The next film is rumored to be The Bride of Frankenstein which is supposed to be set decades before The Mummy. They got other projects in the works like The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. So they got a plan, the only thing is I don't know if they'll ever get to follow through. Show me one movie with a Rotten Tomatoes score higher than 25 and maybe, just maybe, I'll show this universe some respect.
Outlook Points: 2 Total Points: 11
Alien Universe:
Apparently there's one more Alien movie in the works that might be titled Alien: Awakening. Cool name aside, I'm not too excited about this film if it's just David being a bitter robot for 2 and a half hours. (Though I'm all in for another flute scene.) I like me some Michael Fassbender but so far I haven't liked the "bridge" to the rest of the Alien franchise. Also, there's only one movie planned, so it looks like the universe might just end there. Look, I'm not saying I want to keep this thing running, but would you not like to see a movie on the Weyland Corporation?
Outlook Points: 1 Total Points: 22
Conclusion
Alas, there are no upsets today. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the strongest universe we have at this moment. Maybe other universes will catch up, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. MCU has consistently churned out good to great movies that delight audiences and make money and they have a clear path ahead of them. They have bankable stars and interesting characters and story lines to explore. Ultimately the universes fell into four tiers. There's the two powerhouses that's the MCU and Star Wars Saga. Then there's the upper class which includes the X-Men, Kaiju, and Wizarding World. There's the lower class that features the Alien, DC and Conjuring Universes. And finally, there's just the Dark Universe. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I know this was a long one, but thanks for reading.
Now that we got that out of the way it's time to look at some current cinematic universes and see who is doing it best. We'll be going through some criteria and awarding points based on it. Some of the criteria is objective with some heavy research involved; some is subjective because I know what I'm talking about. The contending CU's are:
Marvel Cinematic Universe: movies based on the Marvel Comics owned by Disney starting with Iron Man. It includes the characters featured in the Avengers such as Captain America, Hulk and Thor, as well as characters such as Ant-Man and Doctor Strange.
DC Extended Universe: movies based on the DC Comics starting with the Superman reboot movie, Man of Steel. Includes Wonder Woman, Justice League, and Suicide Squad.
X-Men Universe: movies based on X-Men characters owned by 20th Century Fox. Includes all the X-Men movies, Wolverine movies and Deadpool.
Dark Universe: movies based on the original Universal Studios movie monsters starting with Tom Cruise's The Mummy. Will also include characters like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as the Wolf Man.
Star Wars Saga: movies set in George Lucas' universe starting from A New Hope and including spin-off movies such as Rogue One and the yet-to-be released Han Solo movie.
Alien Universe: movies set in Ridley Scott's universe starting from Alien and including its sequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Does not include the Alien vs. Predator films.
Kaiju-verse: movies based on the Kaiju monsters currently being developed by Legendary Entertainment. Includes Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island and is connected by the fictional government agency Monarch. Is set to include a Godzilla vs. Kong film.
Conjuring Universe: movies based on the universe created by James Wan that includes both Conjuring movies, both Annabelle movies, and an upcoming Nun movie.
Wizarding World: movies based on the books written by Rowling including the Harry Potter franchise and its spin-offs like Fantastic Beasts.
So now that you know who is contending, let's find out who has the best CU. I will be going over several criteria and awarding points based on it. 9 is the highest a universe can attain per category. At the end I will add the scores up. The highest score is the best cinematic universe.
Average Rotten Tomatoes Score
This category is pretty simple if you know rudimentary math and are patient enough to sort through dozens of movie review pages. Though using Rotten Tomatoes isn't an exact to determine whether a movie is good or not, it does give an idea of how well it was received by critics. In a surprise upset, the J.K.-verse led this category due to a consistent effort from Sorcerer's Stone to Fantastic Beasts. Some universes like MCU, Star Wars, and Alien had films with higher scores but ultimately payed for having sub-par movies in their catalog.
Wizarding World:
Avg. RT Score: 83.3 Highest Rated Film: Deathly Hollows Part 2 Score: 9
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 82.3 Highest Rated Film: Iron Man Score: 8
Star Wars Saga:
Avg. RT Score: 80.5 Highest Rated Film: The Empire Strikes Back Score: 7
Kaiju-verse:
Avg. RT Score: 75 Highest Rated Film: King Kong: Skull Island Score: 6
X-Men Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 73.4 Highest Rated Film: Logan Score: 5
Alien Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 72.8 Highest Rated Film: Aliens Score: 4
Conjuring Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 65.5 Highest Rated Film: The Conjuring Score: 3
DC Extended Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 49.8 Highest Rated Film: Wonder Woman Score: 2
Dark Universe:
Avg. RT Score: 16 Highest Rated Film: The Mummy Score: 1
Biggest Box Office Success
Movie reviews aren't the only way you can look at success in regards to film. Show biz is still a business and nothing says success quite like fat revenue numbers. Because I don't want to look up every films' box office numbers, do some algebra, and give you an average box office pull, I'll instead rank each universe by its biggest box office success. And yes, I did account for inflation.
Star Wars Saga:
Highest Grossing Film: Star Wars Adj. Box Office: $1.26 Billion Score: 9 Total Score: 16
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: The Avengers Adj. Box Office: $683 Million Score: 8 Total Score: 16
Wizarding World:
Highest Grossing Film: Sorcerer's Stone Adj. Box Office: $497 Million Score: 7 Total Score: 16
DC Extended Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: Wonder Woman Adj. Box Office: $409 Million Score: 6 Total Score: 8
X-Men Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: Deadpool Adj. Box Office: $375 Million Score: 5 Total Score: 10
Alien Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: Alien Adj. Box Office: $279 Million Score: 4 Total Score: 8
Kaiju-verse:
Highest Grossing Film: Godzilla Adj. Box Office: $214 Million Score: 3 Total Score: 9
Conjuring Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: The Conjuring Adj. Box Office: $155 Million Score: 2 Total Score: 5
Dark Universe:
Highest Grossing Film: The Mummy Adj. Box Office: $80 Score: 1 Total Score: 2
Hit/Bomb Ratio
This category is a bit more subjective but is based on numbers. I like to reward movie success and punish for failures. Thus, I have created a hit to bomb ratio. The higher the ratio the better the score. A true hit is any film that gets a score of 90 or higher in Rotten Tomatoes. A bomb is any movie that has a score less than 50 on Rotten Tomatoes. (I'm looking for the green rotten tomatoes here.) If a movie is on the edge then I'll make a judgement call.
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 6/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 9 Total Score: 25
Star Wars Saga:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 3/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 8 Total Score: 24
Wizarding World:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 2/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 7 Total Score: 23
Alien Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 2/1 Biggest Bomb: Alien 3 Score: 6 Total Score: 14
X-Men Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 2/2 Biggest Bomb: X-Men Origins: Wolverine Score: 5 Total Score: 15
Kaiju-verse:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 0/0 Biggest Bomb: None Score: 4 Total Score: 13
DC Extended Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 1/2 Biggest Bomb: Suicide Squad Score: 3 Total Score: 11
Conjuring Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 0/1 Biggest Bomb: Annabelle Score: 2 Total Score: 7
Dark Universe:
Hit/Bomb Ratio: 0/1 Biggest Bomb: The Mummy Score: 2 Total Score: 4
John C. Riley Usage Rating
John C. Riley is a delight and universes should be rewarded for utilizing his talent to make their movies better. A single point was given for the mere presence of Riley. From there I added points for his usage in the film. If he was used correctly the universe was rewarded the full 9 points. After vigorously studying his IMDb paged I found he only had appearances in MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy and Kaiju's Kong: Skull Island. In Guardians, John C. Riley plays Corpsman Dey and he's fine in that. He has his moments and he conjures up a few chuckles but ultimately you forget about him. It's like having Rudy Gobert on your team but only using him for jump balls. Now, in Skull Island John C. really shines. Despite the film's billing order, he is the true star of the movie, other than Kong.
Kaiju-verse:
JCR Usage Rating: 9 Total Score: 22
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 3 Total Score: 28
Star Wars Saga:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 24
Wizarding World:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 23
X-Men Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 15
Alien Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 14
DC Extended Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 11
Conjuring Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 7
Dark Universe:
JCR Usage Rating: 0 Total Score: 4
Universe Clarity
This category looks at how easy it is for the average moviegoer to figure out the film he or she is watching is part of a larger cinematic universe. If it's very easy to figure out then the universe will get the full 9 points. The less clear the cinematic universe is, the less points it will receive. Multiple universes can receive perfect scores in this category. Characters crossing over, as well as common organizations, themes or events certainly help the case. Easter eggs also bolster the score.
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
I mean, they basically shove this down your throat. This universe has it all from characters crossing over to other characters' movies to straight up ensemble flicks. The main MCU characters are tied through the fictional agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rest are connected to the Avengers in some way or another. Even films like Guardians of the Galaxy, which to this point haven't had any interaction with the rest of the MCU, are still linked to the rest of the Universe thanks to the infinity stones. Of course, we can't forget to mention the immortal Stan Lee cameos.
Clarity Points: 9 Total Score: 37
Star Wars Saga:
There's the main saga and then there's Rogue One. As of right now Rogue One is the only Star Wars film released not part of the main saga. That's all we really have to go on at this point. So how clear is it that Rogue One is part of this expanding universe? Very! Aside from the various mentions of Jedi and the Force, the main story centers on the mission to get the plans to destroy the Death Star. You know, the thing they destroy in the first Star Wars. Darth Vader and other memorable characters also pop in to see what's up. As expected it's also loaded with Easter eggs such as Jyn's childhood toys.
Clarity Points: 9 Total Score: 33
Wizarding World:
The central thing tying the Harry Potter movies, Fantastic Beasts and movies that will follow is the wizarding world. Specifically with Fantastic Beasts, it's a film based on a text book that Harry and crew had read at Hogwarts. Words, themes and places that show up in the Harry's world show up here, like "muggle" and "Ministry of Magic". Newt, Fantastic Beasts main character and author of the textbook of the same name, is close with Dumbledore. There's a bunch of Easter eggs like a scarf that reveals Newt was a Hufflepuff. (I didn't need the scarf to figure that one out.)
Clarity Points: 9 Total Score: 32
X-Men Universe:
Even without Wolverine showing up in every film, minus Deadpool, it's impossible not to know that these films are part of one universe. The main characters are mostly the same, though sometimes younger in the prequel movies. There's usually some mention of the X-Men in some capacity. Hell, Deadpool straight up drops a visit to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. So this should be a perfect score, but I'm going to dock it a single point. Here's why: I saw Xavier die in X-Men: The Last Stand. (A very bad movie.) But then at the beginning of Days of Future Past he's alive again. (A very good movie.) Doesn't sound very clear to me.
Clarity Points: 8 Total Score: 23
Alien Universe:
All the alien movies, minus Prometheus, feature the xenomorphs. The first four movies featured Sigourney Weaver as Ripley while the latest two, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, don't. Those two movies take place before the events of Alien and are supposed to explain how the xenomorphs came to be. Today it's pretty clear that all these movies fall within the same universe, with the android David being in both prequel movies. But at the time Prometheus was released I remember a lot of people not knowing that the film was set in the same universe as Ridley Scott's masterpiece. I thought it was clear; the ship they find in Alien is the same one they find in Prometheus. There were more subtle Easter eggs that didn't pop off the screen. I appreciated that, but maybe people like being spoon-fed information. Maybe Ridley Scott should have named this movie Alien: Prometheus. I don't know. All I know is people didn't think it was clear enough so I took off some points.
Clarity Points: 7 Total Score: 21
DC Extended Universe:
You might be thinking, "How did this not get a perfect score? Like it or not, the DC Universe is clearly a universe." You are not incorrect. There's no question that DC has created a cinematic universe that crosses over several films. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman all appeared in Batman v. Superman. Justice League will feature Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Aquaman. Their movies are littered with Easter eggs. I give them all that. It's very clear. Almost too clear. So clear, they can't remove the stench of Suicide Squad. I'm no Hollywood exec, but after screening Suicide Squad my first and only priority would be to distance that movie from the rest of the DC Extended Universe. So yeah, I'm deducting points.
Clarity Points: 7 Total Score: 18
Conjuring Universe:
At this moment they only have four films out but the people behind this universe are building a solid foundation. Obviously The Conjuring 2 is a sequel to The Conjuring. And obviously Annabelle: Creation is a prequel to Annabelle. Annabelle, the doll, is featured in the Warren's showroom in the Conjuring. There aren't a whole lot of Easter eggs, but the most noticeable one is the picture of the nun in Sister Charlotte's room in Creation. It's the same nun that attacks the Warrens in The Conjuring 2. But there's no characters crossing over between the two film series. I appreciate subtlety but not when it comes to cinematic universes. I want loud and proud!
Clarity Points: 5 Total Score: 12
Dark Universe:
This is where I point out that 1) the Dark Universe only has one movie released (The Mummy) and 2) I have not seen said movie. I'm not even sure I plan to. I mean the movie got such bad reviews. I saw a headline that asked the question: is The Mummy the worst movie of all time? Whether it is or not, the fact that the question was even asked speaks volumes about the quality of the movie. That said I've read a lot about the movie plot itself and how it lays the foundation for a movie universe. Other than the titular mummy, other characters that appear, most notably Dr. Jekyll who is the founder of Prodigium, a secret organization that studies and defeats evil beings. I would venture that this organization will play a big part in any future movies. Apparently there's also a logo in the pre-credits that reads "Dark Universe". I can't give it full points since there is literally only one movie, but it has a fucking logo. Clear enough for you?
Clarity Points: 5 Total Score: 9
Kaiju-verse:
There's only two movies so far but they feature some pretty memorable characters, King Kong and Godzilla. Neither of the two movies feature the same characters, but that's partly because Godzilla is set in the present and Skull Island is set in the 1970's. What the movies do have in common is the agency Monarch. Monarch is an organization that studies and tracks prehistoric monsters like Godzilla and Kong. Monarch appears in both movies. Unless you're a person who obsesses over cinematic universes like I do, you probably didn't connect the dots. My dad had no idea the two movies were connected until I told him. Even then he thought it was a stretch.
Clarity Points: 3 Total Points: 25
Future Outlook
This last category looks at upcoming films for each universe. Points are rewarded for having movies planned or in development. They are deducted if the franchise is having issues with the development of their universe as you'll see some are having. I like expanding universes, so the more spin-offs the better. I'm also factoring intrigue of the future products. A universe may have multiple projects on the horizon but if people aren't excited to see it then what good does that serve? This will be a ranked category with the movie with the best outlook receiving the full 9 points and the worst receiving 1. This is for all the marbles.
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
MCU really likes to plan ahead. They are set to the next decade with no signs of any major hiccups. Currently they are in the midst of Phase 3, which started with Captain America: Civil War. The next movie up is Thor: Ragnarok followed by Black Panther. Both movies appear to be must-sees. Hulk appears in the latest Thor movie and Black Panther is directed by Oakland native Ryan Coogler. Looking further, the execs have Infinity Wars on deck, which should finally have the the infinity stones come into play. Then after that we're looking at Ant-Man & the Wasp, which I'm pleased about. Lastly, at least for now, Captain Marvel will finally be released in 2019. This is a strong lineup that will continue to grow.
Outlook Points: 9 Total Points: 46
X-Men Universe:
It's a pretty exciting time to be an X-Men fan. In 2018 they'll drop New Mutants, which is exactly what you think it is: a bunch of fresh-faced, gifted youngsters. Deadpool 2 will hopefully build on its major success; it cast Josh Brolin as Cable. Then we'll all be treated to Dark Phoenix in late 2018, which, fingers crossed, won't be The Last Stand. There's also rumors of a stand-alone movie about Gambit, but that's still being worked out. In addition to all that there's a possibility of an X-Force movie in 2019.
Outlook Points: 8 Total Points: 31
Star Wars Saga:
Here's what they got going for them: The Last Jedi coming up this winter, a young Han Solo movie starring Alden Ehrenreich, and the yet to be titled episode 9 of the main saga. There's even a rumored Boba Fett film in the works. Unfortunately the execs are switching directors like Kevin Durant switches burner Twitter accounts. Directors Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Collin Trevorrow have all at some point been slated to direct a Star Wars film and fired. Now, that's not going to throw this saga off the rails; the brain trust has enlisted J.J. Abrams to direct episode 9 which is a sturdy choice. But it's not a great look either.
Outlook Points: 7 Total Points: 40
DC Extended Universe:
There's been a lot of talk of whether Warner Bros. would continue with the DC Universe because of the lack of success its had compared to Marvel. In my honest opinion, Wonder Woman needed to be great for this universe to have any chance. It was, and I think that's a good, albeit late, start. But lately I've read that Warner Bros. is rethinking its strategy. After Justice League DC will put more emphasis on stand-alone films and less emphasis on ensemble movies. They're also splitting up DC movies into two categories: movies within the universe and movies independent of the universe. (The Joker origin story is rumored to be, like David S. Pumpkins, its own thing.) Still, the movies it has rumored to be released are a solid bunch. Basically everyone from Justice League will have a stand-alone film, including a sequel to Wonder Woman. Unfortunately for everyone, that includes a sequel to Suicide Squad.
Outlook Points: 6 Total Points: 24
Kaiju-verse:
So far this monster universe has two movies released and two movies planned. First, there's Godzilla: King of Monsters. I'm guessing this movie will feature Godzilla fighting a bunch of monsters and being king of all of them. The movie after is a big one: Godzilla vs. King Kong. I don't know about you, but I'll pay top dollar to see those two duke it out in a loser-leaves-town battle. There isn't anything officially planned beyond that, but depending on which monsters show up for King of Monsters there's ripe opportunities for more monster spin-offs.
Outlook Points: 5 Total Points: 30
Conjuring Universe:
This universe has been set up pretty good for future projects. First it will expand the universe with The Nun. That film will be about the evil nun that shows up in The Conjuring 2. It will be set before the events of Annabelle: Creation. Then comes The Crooked Man, which will be based on the scary creature that briefly appears in The Conjuring 2. Lastly, they'll release The Conjuring 3 and keep up with the Warrens. The Conjuring Universe isn't as big as the comic book universes so it makes sense that they're not rolling out phases, but they do well with what they got.
Outlook Points: 4 Total Points: 16
Wizarding World:
As far as I know, we'll be seeing Newt again in Fantastic Beasts 2. This series is said to be five movies in total, though so far only the first sequel has been announced. That's fine, but I need more. I'll take a movie about another Hogwarts textbook if that's what necessary. Show me a The Big Short-esque film about Gringotts Bank. Shit, I'll settle for a Young Sheldon-esque movie about young Snape. Just give me more.
Outlook Points: 3 Total Points: 35
Dark Universe:
The Dark Universe got off to a terrible start. I wouldn't blame them if studio heads at Universal gave up on this venture all together. But to my knowledge they are moving forward. The next film is rumored to be The Bride of Frankenstein which is supposed to be set decades before The Mummy. They got other projects in the works like The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. So they got a plan, the only thing is I don't know if they'll ever get to follow through. Show me one movie with a Rotten Tomatoes score higher than 25 and maybe, just maybe, I'll show this universe some respect.
Outlook Points: 2 Total Points: 11
Alien Universe:
Apparently there's one more Alien movie in the works that might be titled Alien: Awakening. Cool name aside, I'm not too excited about this film if it's just David being a bitter robot for 2 and a half hours. (Though I'm all in for another flute scene.) I like me some Michael Fassbender but so far I haven't liked the "bridge" to the rest of the Alien franchise. Also, there's only one movie planned, so it looks like the universe might just end there. Look, I'm not saying I want to keep this thing running, but would you not like to see a movie on the Weyland Corporation?
Outlook Points: 1 Total Points: 22
Conclusion
Alas, there are no upsets today. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the strongest universe we have at this moment. Maybe other universes will catch up, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. MCU has consistently churned out good to great movies that delight audiences and make money and they have a clear path ahead of them. They have bankable stars and interesting characters and story lines to explore. Ultimately the universes fell into four tiers. There's the two powerhouses that's the MCU and Star Wars Saga. Then there's the upper class which includes the X-Men, Kaiju, and Wizarding World. There's the lower class that features the Alien, DC and Conjuring Universes. And finally, there's just the Dark Universe. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I know this was a long one, but thanks for reading.
El Guapo is a talented blogger on the rise, regarded by many
as a cross between Homer and Socrates.
Through real life experience and expertise in many facets of life, the
Guaps aims to provide readers with unique takes that will enhance the way they
think and live. Keep up with his main
blog Infinite Wisdom From El Guapo’s
Brain. NBA fans have to place to go
with his basketball blog, Infinite Wisdom on the NBA. Like him on Facebook, and
follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Leave comments in the section below. Stay Guapo out there!
