Selena Gomez’s Return To 17-Year-Old Disney Show Officially Ties A Big Record With Her $1.3 Billion Movie Franchise

Summary Selena Gomez returns to her breakout role in the upcoming Wizards of Waverly Place spinoff, showcasing her commitment to the beloved franchise.

Both Wizards of Waverly Place and Hotel Transylvania are tied for the actress' most franchise appearances.

The success of Wizards of Waverly Place and Hotel Transylvania demonstrates Gomez's talent in family-friendly, supernatural franchises.

Selena Gomez's upcoming return in the spinoff sequel of the 2007 Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place will meet a record set before by a $1.3 million movie franchise the actress has featured in for over a decade. Gomez started her career with a handful of supporting parts in children's television shows or movies before rising to prominence as a teen idol for her leading role in Wizards of Waverly Place. The popular TV show, following a tight-knit family of wizards, aired for five years and 106 episodes as one of the longest-running Disney Channel series.

The fantasy sitcom ended in 2012, but Disney Channel is preparing to relive the magic of the franchise with the forthcoming sequel spinoff Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. Alongside original actors David Henrie (Alex Russo), David DeLuise (Jerry Russo), and Maria Canals Barrera (Theresa Russo), Gomez is reprising her role as Alex Russo as well as serving as one of the series' executive producers. How often Gomez's character will appear in the new series is unclear, but her return indicates a commitment to the franchise she's made to only one other franchise before.

Confirmed Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Cast Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Role David Henrie Justin Russo Selena Gomez Alex Russo Janice LeeAnn Brown Billie Alkaio Thiele Justin's Son Max Matenko Justin's Son Mimi Gianopulos Giadi David DeLuise Jerry Russo Maria Canals Barrera Theresa Russo

Related The Wizards Of Waverly Place Sequel Wishlist: 10 Things We Want To See The upcoming Wizards of Waverly Place sequel is highly anticipated, and there are a number of questions we want answers to and things we want to see.

Wizards Of Waverly Place Is Now Tied With Hotel Transylvania For Selena Gomez's Most Franchise Appearances

Gomez Appeared In Four Installments Of Each Franchise

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Wizards of Waverly Place's success with audiences inspired the series to expand. First with the 2009 made-for-television film Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, and later with the post-series, hour-long TV special, The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex, both of which garnered impressive audience responses, the former raking in 13.5 million total viewers and the latter attracting 5.9 million (per Deadline). Gomez will continue her trend of performing in all the Wizards of Waverly Place installments by reprising her role for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, meeting Hotel Transylvania's record of the actress' most franchise appearances.

Similarly, the Hotel Transylvania franchise started with a strong initial installment to jump off from, with the first Hotel Transylvania movie earning $378.1 million at the box office worldwide off its $85 thousand budget (via The Numbers). Eventually, Hotel Transylvania burgeoned into a $1.3 billion franchise, containing the films Hotel Transylvania 2, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, and Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania. With Wizards Beyond Waverly Place on the horizon, both franchises are tied for the actress' most appearances and are, interestingly enough, the only franchises Gomez has pursued throughout her career.

Selena Gomez's Two Biggest Franchises Also Share Similar Themes & Premises

Gomez's Franchises Are Family-Friendly And Have A Flare For The Supernatural

It comes as no surprise that, more than sharing similar expansion successes, Gomez's two biggest franchises share corresponding themes and premises. In Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez's character Alex and her brothers learn to hone their supernatural powers from their parents while also trying to navigate everyday human life. The balance between wizardry and daily living poses a challenge for the Russo children, especially Alex, on whom the series tends to place focus, and each episode of their development takes audiences on fun, family-filled escapades colored with magic.

The original Wizards of Waverly Place is available to stream on Disney+

...instead of a wizard, she voices the role of Mavis, a vampire who also tries to walk the line between the mystical and human worlds.

Likewise, Gomez plays the part of another classic supernatural being in Hotel Transylvania's group of main characters. However, instead of a wizard, she voices the role of Mavis, a vampire who also tries to walk the line between the mystical and human worlds. When Mavis falls in love with a human named Johnny and has to break the news to her father, Dracula, their worlds collide, resulting in family-filled and family-centered shenanigans based on fantasy, much like Gomez's first big franchise, Wizards of Waverly Place.

Source: Deadline, The Numbers