Being a Harry Potter superfan can be more costly than being a Star Wars fan

Fans can go behind the scenes of the "Harry Potter" franchise by visiting the "Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter," in Leavesden, UK. Image: Sabrina Alili / ETX Studios©

Being a superfan can be a costly business. Between the box sets of complete movie franchises and all kinds of associated merch, the bill can quickly add up. A study looking at the most expensive movie franchises for fans has found that being a superfan of the Harry Potter franchise can be more costly than Star Wars fandom. So which are the top 10 most expensive and most affordable movie franchises for fans?

Evidently, the magic comes at a cost for fans of the wizarding world. As the latest installment of "Fantastic Beasts" spin-off series hits theaters April 15, the movie franchise based on J.K. Rowling's books has been named the most expensive for superfans, according to Money.co.uk. The British price comparison website has selected 39 movie franchises, among the most popular worldwide, consisting of at least three films, to determine the average cost of box sets and fan merchandise on eBay. The study puts the "Harry Potter" franchise at the top of the table as the most expensive franchise for superfans, with a total of £467.98 (approx. $609).

To determine this top 20, the site compared the average price of a full box set of movies, an action figure, a t-shirt, a costume and a signed movie poster. The first Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was released in 2001. Since then, seven other movies have been released, making the franchise a particularly prolific business.

In second place comes the "Godfather" franchise. Although with only three films, the franchise directed by Francis Ford Coppola comes at a cost of £448.62 (approx. $584) to fans. Unlike "Harry Potter," while the average price of the box set is cheaper, the signed poster reaches £382 compared to £306 for the boy wizard. Next in the top three comes "Back to the Future" costing £355.84 (approx. $463).

As for the most affordable franchises, "Star Wars" is in sixth place at a cost of "just" £109.17 (approx. $142) to fans. But the top prize goes to "Shrek," with a total of only £60.46 (approx. $79) for the box set and all the merchandise. The "Die Hard" saga and "Twilight" complete the top three most affordable franchises for movie fans, according to Money.co.uk.