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 heavy 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.