In a world overflowing with streaming services, tracking down where fan-favorite films live can feel like a quest of its own. Rights shift, contracts expire and corporate mergers send titles bouncing between platforms. While Americans technically have access to millions of films, figuring out who owns what, and where to watch it, isn’t always simple.
Here’s a guide to help find some of the biggest franchise universes in one place.
‘Star Wars’
Where to stream: Disney+
Who owns it: The Walt Disney Company
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … actually, not that far. Every major “Star Wars” film and Disney-produced series lives on Disney+, making this one of the easiest franchises to watch in one place. The Walt Disney Company owns the rights after purchasing the rights from George Lucas in 2012.
Available films on Disney+:
Original trilogy:
- “A New Hope”
- “The Empire Strikes Back”
- “Return of the Jedi”
Prequel trilogy:
- “The Phantom Menace”
- “Attack of the Clones”
- “Revenge of the Sith”
Sequel Trilogy:
- “The Force Awakens”
- “The Last Jedi”
Standalone Films:
- “Rogue One”
- “Solo”
Special franchise series like “Andor,” “The Mandalorian,” “The Bad Batch” and “Star Wars: Clone Wars,” along with many more, are available on Disney+.
‘Harry Potter’
Where to stream: HBO Max (primary), Peacock (rotating rights)
Who owns it: Warner Bros. Discovery; J.K Rowling (literary rights)
For those hoping to enroll at Hogwarts, HBO Max is the primary streaming home. Rights to the franchise are held by J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.; Rowling owns the rights to the books and characters, while Warner Bros. owns film and television rights. Licensing deals occasionally bring the films to Peacock as well.
Currently, viewers can find all eight films in the series on both HBO Max and Peacock.
Available films:
- “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
- “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”
- “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
- “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
- “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”
- “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″
- “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″
‘Lord of the Rings’
Where to stream: HBO Max (films), Amazon Prime Video (series)
Who owns it: The Tolkien Estate, Embracer Group, Warner Bros. and Amazon
“The Lord of the Rings” franchise ownership status is a bit more complicated — the Tolkien Estate owns the rights to the books, and the Embracer Group holds the film rights but licenses those rights to Warner Bros. to distribute the original films, and Amazon is licensed to produce the series “The Rings of Power.”
Middle-earth’s rights are a bit tangled, but thankfully the films are easier to find than keeping track of who owns them.
Available films on HBO Max:
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy:
- “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
- “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”
- “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
The Hobbit Trilogy:
- “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
- “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
- “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
Available series on Amazon Prime Video:
- The Lord of the Rings: “The Rings of Power”
‘Star Trek’
Where to stream: Paramount+
Who owns it: Paramount Global (rights reunified after 2005 merger)
Paramount Global currently owns the “Star Trek” franchise rights. Before the 2005 merger, CBS controlled the TV side while Paramount handled films. The merger brought everything back under one roof.
Available series on Paramount+:
- “Star Trek: The Original Series” (1966-1969)
- “Star Trek: Enterprise”
- “Star Trek: Discovery”
- “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”
‘James Bond’
Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy), Pluto TV
Who owns it: Amazon MGM Studios (acquired MGM in 2025)
So who owns James Bond? Bond rights have shifted over the years, but Amazon now holds creative and distribution control. While the full collection isn’t always included with Prime subscriptions, all 25 official films are consistently available to rent or buy.
All 25 Bond films are currently available for free on Pluto TV’s “007″ channel or on-demand, per Screen Rant.
Amazon Originals:
- “007: Road to a Million”
- “The Sound of 007 Documentary”
‘Mission: Impossible’
Where to stream: Paramount+
Who owns it: Paramount Pictures
The “Mission: Impossible” franchise, both the classic TV series and the long-running film series, belongs to Paramount Pictures. Most titles stream on Paramount+, with some temporarily licensed to The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video through Paramount+.
Available films:
- “Mission: Impossible”
- “Mission: Impossible 2″
- “Mission: Impossible III”
- “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”
- “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”
- “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
- “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
- “Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.deseret.com ’
