One of the most popularsci-fimovie franchises in history has had an unprecedented gap between theatrical releases. While movies in the genre can be hit or miss at the box office, the hit entries that either have sci-fi as a primary or secondary genre frequently spawn franchises that can span decades.
For instance, the superhero movie franchise known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had 36 installments debut in theaters since 2008, with many more on the way. It is also the highest-grossing movie franchise in history witha cumulative worldwide gross of $31.8 billion.
The second-place franchise is theStar Warsmovies, which have grossed$10.4 billion from 12 theatrical installments(including the animated spinoffThe Clone Wars) that have been released since 1977. Other long-running sci-fi franchises in the Top 50 includeAvatar($5.2 billion),Jurassic Park($6.4 billion),Transformers($5.4 billion), and a franchise that is currently in its longest-ever theatrical drought.
Star Trek Is In The Midst Of Its Longest Gap Between Movies
Even After A $1.1 Billion Trilogy
In spite of this trend for sci-fi franchise longevity, theStar Trekmoviesare in the middle of their longest theatrical drought since the original movie (which was a continuation of the 1966 television series) debuted in 1979. The most recent installment was 2016’sStar Trek Beyond, meaning thatthe movie franchise has been dormant for nine years.
Previously, the longest gap between theatrical installments wasthe seven years between 2002’sStar Trek: Nemesisand the 2009Star Trek, the latter of which was a reboot featuring the characters from the original series played by new actors.
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This gap has happened in spite of the fact thatthe three most recent installments collectively grossed $1.189 billionworldwide, which is more than 50% of the franchise’s collective $2.267 billion.
While thepossibleStar Trek 4has been in various stages of development over the years,it has been stalled for a number of reasons. One reason is the fact that Anton Yelchin, who played navigator Pavel Chekov in the new trilogy, died in June 2016, just one month before the premiere ofBeyond.
Another is the fact thatthe franchise has carried on elsewherewith a robust number ofStar Trekshowson the streaming service Paramount+, includingDiscovery(2017-2024),Picard(2020-2023),Lower Decks(2020-2024), andStrange New Worlds(2022-).
Paramount+ also debuted the franchise’s first-ever television movie,Star Trek: Section 31, in January 2025. However, the movie’s 20% Rotten Tomatoes score and 16% audience scoremay prevent similar projects from going into production.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen what it takes to get thesci-fifranchise back on the big screen. However, there is not currently a majorStar Trekmovie project in the works, so this unprecedented theatrical gap will continue to grow even wider, even though the franchise as a whole is not experiencing any major interruptions.
