E.g. there are vastly more "Friends" kits, the Lego house brand targeted at girls, than Disney princesses.
Ninjago has become a perennial answer to the sword fighting action that Star Wars only delivers intermittently.
Lego's new "Hidden Side" brand seems clearly targeted at being a Lego-owned alternative to Harry Potter with alternative schools, trains, buses, etc.
I also get the sense that the 3rd party licenses are actually more focused towards the "Adult Fan of Lego/AFOL" community, e.g. the $200 Stranger Things kit, the $399 Disney Castle, and the $799 Millenium Falcon seem priced well above even what generous parents will spend on birthday/holiday gifts.
It would be interesting to see the sales breakdown between in-house and licensed brands and how it's shifting over time.