Let's face it: We sci-fi and genre fans love our franchises. Although we bellyache about endless sequels and reboots and prequels and spinoffs, the truth is that we troop out in droves every time there's a new Marvel entry or the next chapter in the Star Wars saga. And since success breeds imitation, every studio in Hollywood is desperately hoping that its next attempt at universe-building will be as massive as the two we just mentioned.

With tentpoles being the lifeblood of the movie industry and various geeky brands doing their best to pump out new films and, in some cases, expand to TV, we thought it might be a good time to take the temperature of 13 of the biggest properties out there and see whether they're still hale and healthy or looking a little pale and sickly. The focus here is on movies, with a TV component analyzed as well if it exists (a full TV/cable round-up demands its own article).

Share your thoughts below on the state of the genre in 2017 ...