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Unless one counts Van Helsing in 2004 (1931 to 2004), then the Universal Frankenstein quickly falls off

The Mummy, 1931 to 2012 (Scorpion King III)

Wolfman, 1941 to 2009 (remake)

ryanbrennan wrote:

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Scathach80 wrote:

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Unless one counts Van Helsing in 2004 (1931 to 2004), then the Universal Frankenstein quickly falls off

The Mummy, 1931 to 2012 (Scorpion King III)

Wolfman, 1941 to 2009 (remake)

I think you're confusing a long-running character with a long-running series.  When a studio reboots a character that begins a new series.  For instance, Tim Burton's BATMAN isn't the same Batman or part of the same series as, say, BATMAN BEGINS. 
--------------------------------------------------------------If WB wanted to release them on a box set all together, continuity shifts would not stop them. (They could not, of course, release the 1966 film with Adam West, but Fox made that film. WB owns the character now. As it happens, the 1966 film I would not include with the WB made films, since they share no continuity.)  

Therefore, Universal has two series featuring the Mummy, and two featuring the Wolfman (and maybe three if we count WEREWOLF OF LONDON as the start of a series that never took off).

---------------------------------------------------They could still release a DVD box set of all films featuring them.

You should retitle this to explore the longest running _character_ based on your current parameters.  Otherwise, if you wish to nail down the longest-running series you'll have to confine it to a particular studio and/or creative force and it can't include reboots or remakes as they are not part of the original series.  An exception might be a film made later that picks up where the last film left off.  That, I would think, constitutes a continuation of a _series_.

One candidate for longest-running _character_ would be Batman.  The character debuted on film in 1943 and is still going strong in 2012.  Superman began celluloid life in 1941 in the Fleischer cartoons.
  ---------------------I can think of some other properties, such as Tarzan, that would beat that record (1999-1918). The Don Diego Vega Zorro appeared from 1920 to 1998.

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I figure that, given the prevalence of reboots in recent years, as well disavowed sequels, I see no reason to exclude reboots as part of a series, as long as the same studio and/or producers/production company involve themselves (cf. Andrew Garfiled replacing Tobe Maguire).

Different production companies handling a property depend on a case by case basis (e.g. RKO taking over the Weismuller Tarzan films, Canon taking over Death Wish with Bronson and Gardenia reprising their roles, etc.).

Will reboot shifts stop studios from releasing a box DVD set of all a series? Would they stop Warner Bros. from including Superman Returns on a box set with the all four Reeve films and Supergirl (Superman Returns disavowed III and IV)?  

Also, when it comes to intellectual property, as long as the studio owns the property (as Universal does Imhotep and Larry Talbot), I treat it as the same overall series. I feel in this case intellectual property trumps narrative continuity (which largely remains a Philip Jose Farmer Wold Newton conceit-not that I object to it, PJF inspired quite a few people to scholarly pursuits).

Also, if a property started in film, I tend to count all films featuring said property as part of the same series, in contrast to unrelated adaptations of properties foreign to film such as Tarzan. Cf. Michael Myers as an example.

     http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CanonDiscontinuity?from=Main.CanonBanned
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ContinuityReboot

A blog called A Series Man tackled these taxonomy questions.
  

Rider wrote:

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In other words you are just going to invent criteria to make your point.

Adapting A Series Man Blog criteria.

Rider wrote:

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If you are going to count totally unrelated remakes Like the new Wolfman and The Mummy films. Then Caligari wins hands down. The rules of this are far to fast and loose to have serious conversation.

Universal made all of the Imhotep and Larry Talbot films, so intellectual property rights apply.

Perhaps horror franchise serves as a better term?