Harry Potter vs. Twilight: And the Winner Is…?

"Sorry, you HP fans thought you had it in the bag over Twilight, ha!"
"Twilight will always be in HP's shadows…"
OK, so which is it, really? Can't we settle this box-office debate once and for all?
MORE: Answer B!tch's take on the Potter vs. Twilight debate

Sure.

In the battle of the fantastically successful franchises (with the fanatically competitive fan bases), the winner is:

Harry Potter!

In all of Hollywood history, no franchise has grossed more money worldwide. (Forget about Team Twilight's dejection, and imagine how James Bond feels: 007 had a 38-year head start on the Hogwarts kid.)

Er, we mean, Twilight!

In all of Hollywood history, no franchise has made more money faster—at midnight, in a single day, and in an opening day.

Yeah, but Harry Potter movies are marathon runners—not sprinters!

Despite their fast starts, the Twilight films have never outgrossed a Harry Potter film (that's completed its theatrical run) on the all-time worldwide chart.

Yeah, but that's only 'cause the rest of the world is stupid!

On the all-time domestic chart, Eclipse and New Moon have outgrossed every Harry Potter, save Sorcerer's Stone and Half-Blood Prince.

Yeah, but…

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone made so much money that even when its ticket sales are adjusted for inflation, it's still an all-time box-office king, right there next to West Side Story. (Don't bother looking for the Twilight films on that Box Office Mojo chart; they're not there.)

Yeah, but…

The most expensive Twilight movie (Eclipse) cost about one-third of the cheapest Harry Potter film (Chamber of Secrets): The movies get more bang for their studio's bucks!

Oh, never mind…

Harry Potter and Twilight are both fantastically successful franchises, and that's the final verdict. Deal with it.