#25 – Robert Downey Jr. scored a mega-hit with “Iron Man” and 2 sequels. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#24 – “Men in Black” is not a particularly sophisticated series of films, but underscores sci-fi’s acceptance into the mainstream. (Photo: Flickr/Reproduction)
#23 – “Jurassic Park” was a special-effects revelation in the early 90s. (Photo: Flickr/Reproduction)
#22 – There is no more iconic costume-design than Predator. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#21 – The Battlestar Gallactica franchise lays the religious symbolism on thick. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#20 – If anyone doesn’t think “Back to the Future” and subsequent sequels aren’t influential, he’s an idiot. His parents are probably idiots too. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#19 – The “Final Fantasy” series of video games has inspired symphony orchestras in Japan. (Photo: Playbuzz/Reproduction)
#18 – “Flash Gordon,” the original sci-fi serial to eat cereal to! (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#17 – The gigantic Star Wars franchise, according to George Lucas, sprang from a simple idea to update Flash Gordon serials for the big screen. (Photo: Wikimedia/Reproduction)
#16 – “Gojira” was a post-Hiroshima horror hit in 1950’s Japan. Splice in Raymond Burr and voila – Godzilla is still breathing fire (and money) in the U.S. today. (Photo: Archive)
#15 – Joss Whedon broke new ground with the “Firefly” TV series and feature film, but is still saddled with an inch-wide/mile-deep fan base. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#14 – “The Matrix” and 2 sequels inspired an on-going story line between man and machine, acted by role-playing gamers. (Photo: Wikimedia/Reproduction)
#13 – The “Mad Max” series of books and films has captured imaginations with its post-WW3 setting. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#12 – James Cameron’s space-thriller “Alien” rivals Predator for best costuming and art design of the 1980s. (Photo: Flickr/Reproduction)
#11 – The Superman franchise began as a simple fantasy comic, but recent film/drawn incarnations welcome science into the fiction. (Photo: Flickr/Reproduction)
#10 – An indelible image from the Planet of the Apes franchise. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#9 – “Doctor Who” was a humble public-television show from many decades past. Few predicted it would become a hot franchise in the 21st century. (Photo: Flickr/Reproduction)
#8 – Cameron’s other 80s masterpiece “The Terminator” has spawned 4 film sequels, several graphic novels and a TV series. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#7 – Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone” TV series is a legend – and the first show to combine fantastic and real-world-issue elements on television. (Photo: Archive)
#6 – The character of Robocop is unforgettable, but its series of films is also lauded for the social satire. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#5 – Devised as a creepy 8-bit video game on the original Nintendo console, “Metroid” is still going strong 3 decades later. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#4 – The funny crew of Mystery Science Theater, providing comic relief to sci-fi fans since 1988. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#3 – Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” changed the genre forever in 1968. (Photo: Archive)
#2 – H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” is arguably the first great science fiction brand – the novel was most recently brought to the silver screen in 2002, over a century after Wells published the book. (Photo: Twitter/Reproduction)
#1 – Few imagined in the late 60s that “Star Trek: The Original Series” would claim an everlasting fan cult all its own. (Photo: Archive)
Lists of highest-grossing movie franchises in a genre are common. But Jetss has its own standards. Looking (mostly) beyond the profits – which are the best, most influential, and most beloved science fiction brands?
Here’s our top 25 in mostly the film category, but with a few books and even a video game or 2 mixed in. Scroll the gallery and debate for yourselves!
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