But the series, based on romantic novels written by E.L. James, is far from the only film franchise to send songs to the Hot 100’s top 10 from at least two of its editions. Below are five more franchises to accomplish the blockbuster feat.
The James Bond films: Possibly the greatest example comes via the various themes created for the James Bond films since the 1960s. In all, the franchise has sent seven songs (all from different movies, for that matter) to the top 10, beginning with Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” which peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 dated March 24, 1965. Songs from Paul McCartney & Wings, Carly Simon, Sheena Easton and Madonna also ended up within the top 10 by the end of their runs, spanning (so far) all the way to Adele’s Grammy-winning “Skyfall,” which hit No. 8 in October 2012. But only one from the franchise actually reached No. 1: Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill,” for two weeks starting on the July 13, 1985-dated chart.
Beverly Hills Cop: The Eddie Murphy-starring, three-part film series had its share of top 10 hits, led by the No. 2 peaks of Glenn Frey’s “The Heat Is On” (March 16, 1985) from the first film and George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex” (Aug. 8, 1987) from the second. Others included The Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance,” which reached No. 6 only after its inclusion on the first movie’s soundtrack despite being originally released a year before; Harold Faltermeyer's “Axel F” (No. 3, June 1, 1985); and The Jets’ “Cross My Broken Heart” (No. 7, Aug. 1, 1987).
Ghostbusters: The theme song to the series, originally recorded by Ray Parker Jr., was a three-week No. 1 in August 1984 after the first film’s debut, but the sequel scared up a big Hot 100 hit, as well, with Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own,” rising to No. 2 (Aug. 5, 1989).
Rocky: The Hot 100 success of the Rocky franchise spans four films, beginning with the first film’s theme, “Gonna Fly Now,” composed by Bill Conti. After reaching No. 1 for one week (July 2, 1977), it was followed five years later by Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” featured on Rocky 3, a six-week No. 1 in 1982. Though no other song from Rocky ended up at No. 1, the subsequent Rocky 4 had its successes regardless, highlighted by (again) Survivor and its “Burning Heart” (No. 2, Feb. 1, 1986) and James Brown’s “Living in America” (No. 4, March 1, 1986).
The Nutty Professor: Monica’s “Ain’t Nobody” from the first Eddie Murphy iteration of The Nutty Professor climbed to No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1996 as part of a double-sided single with “Why I Love You So Much," as did Az Yet's "Last Night." Nearly four years later, the sequel's smash crowned the chart for three weeks (Aug. 26, 2000) in “Doesn’t Really Matter,” performed by Janet Jackson, who also co-starred in the film.
