The Top Movie Franchises Led By Women

In the grand tradition of Hollywood franchises, audiences have seen everything from battles in outer space, such as "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" to clever heists like the  A-list "Ocean's Eleven."

With each unique franchise, a new actor has rises through the ranks to emerge as a top-earning Hollywood heavt hitter—but as the saying goes: behind every man, there is a great woman.

And there is a growing list of women who are leading high-earning film franchises.

With the upcoming release of "The Hunger Games" and the critical success of the "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," it looks like more and more women are coming to the forefront.

So here we toast the women who head their own movies and sequels. There are some extremely badass chicks, but there are some chick-flicks too.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Rooney Mara

1 film so far, Box Office: $95,281,409

It seemed like a ridiculous idea at first, turning Stieg Larsson's beloved series into a Hollywood blockbuster after it had already been made into a Swedish series. But after the announcement of David Fincher as director and the pitch-perfect casting of Rooney Mara, the result was more than effective. While the first movie made a little less than expected, there are still two movies to go. And those promise to be just as violent, dangerous and intriguing as the first.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and its subsequent books follow Lisbeth Salander's journey from aloof, goth chick hacker to investigator of murder and more. She is one of the most interesting women leads in movie history and is easily more badass than her male counterpart Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig in the remake).

We can't wait to see "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest."

"Bridget Jones," Renée Zellweger

2 films, Box Office: $111,769,642

This 2001 Renée Zellweger flick is based on a famous rom-com novel about an overweight, overly clever woman who is trying to find love. It's charming, funny and is adapted from "Pride and Prejudice"; a smart move considering that Jane Austen novel is one of the most popular female-driven stories ever.

The first film was a box office and critical success, raking in close to $72,000,000 domestically alone and garnering a Best Actress nomination for Zellweger at the Oscars.

"Underworld," Kate Beckinsale

3 films starring Beckinsale, Box Office: $143,837,846

This supernatural action film was a big surprise winner at the box office from day one and gave Kate Beckinsale a chance to rise from her independent films and period pieces. Beckinsale stars as Selene, a vampire who specializes in hunting Lycans (werewolves) as they murdered her family when she was younger.

The original movie has now spawned three sequels, Beckinsale sat out for the third movie and has now come back to take over the box office with the fourth film "Underworld: Awakening."

If the films keep doing this well, it wouldn't be surprising if we see many more.

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