Franchise crossovers are nothing new in Hollywood. While the trend has become more fashionable over time, fusing two iconic movie franchises dates back to the earliest days of cinema. Look no further than the 1910 release ofArsene Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes, a detective crime movie that pitted the classic French thief against the beloved British sleuth.
Not long after, the comedic duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello would continue to popularize the franchise crossover trend through various encounterswith classic Universal Monsters, many of which had their own fair share of cinematic commingling. With plenty of contemporary examples to choose from, it’s time to pore over the history of franchise movie crossovers and highlight the absolute best of the best.
10Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004)
It’s only fitting to begin with a pair of direct-to-video B-level horror movies that lack a ton of fanfare. The 2004 horror moviePuppet Master Vs. Demonic Toysis a franchise mash-up between the 1989 David Scmoeller horror moviePuppet Masterand Peter Manoogian’s 1992 horror movie,Demonic Toys. Both movies were written by venerated genre scribe Charles Band, giving the two separate projects a direct umbilicus connecting the two deadly doll movies.
Why It’s a Great Crossover
While it’s worth noting thatDemonic Toyswas also crossed with Band’sDollman(aptly titledDollman Vs. Demonic Toys), the sheer “so-bad-it’s-good” entertainment value ofPuppet Master Vs. Demonic Toysis too good to miss.The film stars Corey Feldmanand Vanessa Angel in a Christmas horror story that finds the great-grandson of Puppetmaster Robert Toulon’s doll-making designs stolen by the makers of the demonic toys, leading to a gory war between two opposing brands of creepy killer dolls. Fun, absurd, and completely unnecessary, the B-movie franchise crossover is much better than it has any right to be.
9Sadako vs. Kayoko (2016)
In 2016, Japanese filmmaker Koji Shiraishi attempted to revitalize two moribund J-horror franchises by fusing the mythology of characters Sadako fromRinguand Kayoko fromJu-On. The result is, of course,Sadako Vs. Kayoko, an eerily atmospheric yet middling horror affair that did a decent job of resetting both franchises and giving viewers a few new sinister subplots and storylines.
Although the movie is definitely worth seeing for fans and completists of both iconic horror franchises, the battle between the two J-horror ghosts takes a while to click. The story is essentially cleaved into two halves, with the first following Sadako and the second following Kayoko. It isn’t until the final 10 minutes or so that the two terrifying spirits from each respective franchise finally face off and fight each other. While the idea may be greater than its execution, finally seeing the ghosts fromThe RingandThe Grudgeat the end is sure to deliver a spine-chilling jolt.
8Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
As far as martial arts franchise crossovers are concerned, it’s hard to beatZatoichi Meets Yojimbo. “Yojimbo” means “Bodyguard” and refers to the character Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune) from the classic 1961Akira Kurosawa samurai movieYojimbo. Zatoichi comes from the 1962 filmThe Tale of Zatoichi, which follows the blind masseur (Shintaro Katsu) who moonlights as a deadly samurai.
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto,Zatoichi Meets Yojimbodelivers everything fans could want or expect from an epic clash between two popular samurai characters and beloved Japanese actors alike. Much of the appeal comes from Mifune and Katsu reprising their roles as Sanjuro and Zatoichi respectively, giving the film germane ties to the original that feels earned and warranted rather than needlessly superfluous. The action-packed fight scenes are visceral and the dark sense of humor separates itself from both standalone franchises.
7Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
As alluded to in the intro, comedians Abbott and Costello deserve credit for helping to usher in the franchise crossover trend in Hollywood. Beginning with the 1948 release ofAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, the comedic actors would go on to encounter several Universal Monsters in one-off franchise crossovers, albeit with diminishing returns over time. The duo would cross paths with The Invisible Man (1951), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), The Mummy (1955), and more.
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While the gimmick tended to wear out it’s welcome by the mid-to-late 50s,Abbott and Costello Meet Frankensteinstill deserves all the kudos for popularizing franchise crossovers and helping formulate the horror-comedy genre. While many attributeThe Bride of Frankensteinas one of the first overt horror comedies, what Abbott and Costello did to help bring horror more into the mainstream through comedic folly cannot be overstated.
6Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
As far as larger-than-life characters challenging each other to superhero supremacy, the prospect of seeing Batman versus Superman has long been a comic book fan’s dream fight — and they finally got to see it inZack Snyder’s DC movie,Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which, unfortunately, is far better in theory than in practice. In terms of world-building, setting Gotham City and Metropolis across the river from each other is inspiring. However, the final clash could have been even more enthralling.
Indeed, the notion of pitting Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) against one another is a big, bold, ambitious idea that certainly has its moments of excellence. However, the political subplot bogs the movie down and the final battle between two of the strongest and most powerful superheroes ever created left something to be desired due to the overabundance of CGI. Even so, crossing the two most famous DC superheroes and seeing how their mythologies stack up against one another remains a fascinating effort.
5Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Perhaps semantic,Spider-Man: No Way Homeis a franchise crossover between Sam Raimi’s trilogy, Mark Webb’s twoAmazing Spider-Manoutings, and John Watts' recent MCU trilogy. Despite all being distributed by Sony Pictures, the three generations of Peter Parker were very different, and seeing them show up together gave fans a rousing moment of celebration as Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland joined forces to battle Doc Ock and Green Goblin.
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While it may not seem as grand or ambitious as fusing different characters from rivaling franchises, there’s no denying the exhilarating sense of fan service felt when the three Peters join forces, compare their lives, trade witty banter, and work together to defeat their most fearsome villains. Moreover, the rumors and mysterious gossip surrounding Maguire and Garfield’s potential return ahead of the movie’s release only increased the anticipationand did not disappointwhen it finally came to fruition.
4Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman (1943)
After the success of James Whale’s landmark 1931 horror filmFrankenstein,Universal produced several sequels. Following the similar success ofThe Wolfmanin 1941, the powers that be decided to pit the two iconic movie monsters against one another inFrankenstein Meets The Wolfman, the first of many killer crossovers between the iconic horror movie villains.
Often considered the second franchise crossover on record afterArsene Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes, the historical importance ofFrankenstein Meets The Wolfmancannot be emphasized enough. On its own merits, the scintillating clash between Lon Chaney (Wolf Man) and Bela Lugosi (Frankenstein’s Monster) is the stuff of cinematic legend, with a haunting atmosphere that pairs well with the visceral fight scenes. The trend would continue, as Universal mashed up several terrifying monsters from their catalog, including Frankenstein’s brushes with Dracula, Abbott and Costello, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and more.
3Alien vs. Predator (2004)
One of the most anticipated franchise crossovers came in 2004 when 20th Century Fox decided to pit the Xenomorphs inAlienagainst the extraterrestrial hunters inPredatorand let them wage a war for cinematic supremacy. While the results ofAlien vs. Predatorwere uneven and failed to live up to the original in each respective franchise, the film still became a massive financial hit, grossing $177 million globally against a $60 million budget (viaBox-Office Mojo). The film also spawned a sequel,Aliens vs. Predators: Requiem.
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While the story may be lacking in some areas, the hyper-violent showdowns between two of the all-time great sci-fi horror villains more or less deliver exactly what fans desired to see. Much of the appeal comes from how evenly matched the two ultra-aggressive aliens are in the cool franchise crossover, with director Paul W.S. Anderson using his past genre experience withResident EvilandEvent Horizonto imbue the high-profile face-off with stylish set-pieces and slimy brawls.
2Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Separately, theNightmare on Elm StreetandFriday the 13thfranchises remain all-time great genre success stories. The former spawned seven sequels, and one remake, and introduced the world to Freddy Krueger, one of the most popular horror villains ever created. The latter birthed 10 sequels and a remake, placing Jason Voorhees alongside Krueger as arguably the most terrifying and prolific American horror villain on record.
As such, it was only a matter of time before thetwo beloved iconic horror movie slasherswould see each other on the big screen and cut, carve, slay, and slash their way toward victory. Directed by Ronny Yu, the result wasFreddy vs. Jason, a critically overlooked big-budget slasher showdown that absolutely murdered the box office. The movie cost $30 million to produce and went on to gross over $116 million worldwide (viaBox Office Mojo), yet oddly never received a sequel or spin-off of any kind. The film may not live up to the best standalone franchise entries, but when Freddy and Jason trade ultra-gory blows onscreen, it’s impossible not to feel a dose of thrill and nostalgia.
1Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
It doesn’t get bigger or better than the behemoth battles between Godzilla and King Kong, a trend that began in 1963 with Ishiro Honda’sKing Kong vs. Godzilla. As the tagline of the original crossover says, witnessing the “Two mightiest monsters of all time” face off with ferocious fisticuffs was fun, thrilling, and well-imagined — so much so that several cinematic rematches would ensue. And most recently, fans saw the two gargantuan beasts fight each other in 2021 inGodzilla vs. Kong.
While Godzilla is no stranger to fighting with other franchise monsters like Mothra, Hydra, Rodan, etc., nothing eclipses the size, scale, and scope of watching the giant fire-breathing reptile square off with the humongous prehistoric ape. Much likeFreddy vs. JasonandAlien vs. Predator, the two monsters are so evenly matched, boasting their own unique strengths and advantages, that it’s impossible to predict who will get the upper hand in any given battle. Of course, beyond the visceral fight scenes, it’s the scientific backstories of each monster’s origin that provide such a rich storytelling template for their respective franchise crossovers. These two titanic monsters are so ideal together by now that it almost doesn’t feel like a crossover anymore — they were meant for each other.
