Five films have crossed a billion dollars this year against three in all of 2025. Analysts are projecting a $10 billion domestic year, and the summer alone may clear $4 billion.
The movie theater business spent five years being written off. It is having its best year since 2019.
Five films have crossed $1 billion worldwide in 2026. In all of 2025, only three Hollywood releases managed it.
Analysts are projecting a $10 billion domestic year and a $4 billion summer, which would make both the strongest since before the pandemic.
Which films crossed a billion dollars in 2026
The list spans four studios, which is part of why the year has held up.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day from Sony passed $2 billion worldwide, becoming the studio’s highest-grossing release ever and the eighth film in history at that mark.
The Odyssey from Universal sits above $1.29 billion and is now the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, also Universal, was the year’s first billion-dollar film and pushed that franchise past $2 billion cumulatively.
Toy Story 5 from Disney and Pixar finished at $1.07 billion, the top-grossing film in that franchise.
Michael, distributed internationally by Universal, rounds out the group.
Why 2026 turned around
The explanation analysts keep returning to is that two enormous films arrived at once.
Paul Dergarabedian of Rentrak compared the Spider-Man and The Odyssey overlap to the Barbenheimer phenomenon, describing two films creating a shared fervor around going to the movies rather than competing for the same audience.
That weekend produced the biggest collective box office weekend in history, and only the second $400 million-plus weekend ever recorded.
“So many people have counted out the movie theater for so long,” Dergarabedian said. “I think this puts to rest any notion that people don’t want to go to the movie theater.”
Which studio is winning 2026
The standings are less predictable than usual.
Universal crossed $4 billion worldwide on August 2, the first studio there this year and its fifth time over that threshold. Roughly 62 cents of every dollar came from outside North America.
Universal reached that figure without owning the year’s number one film. Its best performer sits at number two.
Disney announced passing $3 billion in late June and has not announced a $4 billion crossing. Sony has the year’s biggest single film.
Warner Bros. has had the roughest year of the majors, with no 2026 release passing $250 million worldwide.
What is still coming in 2026
The fall and holiday slate could push the year higher.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives December 18 and is Disney’s biggest theatrical bet of the year.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu already came and went, finishing near $345 million, which Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro acknowledged fell short of expectations.
Disney’s live-action Moana took $262.7 million against a reported $250 million production budget.
What this means for moviegoers
Practically, more films are getting theatrical windows than they were two years ago.
Netflix is giving Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory a 47-day theatrical window in November 2027 and Greta Gerwig‘s Narnia a 49-day window in February 2027. Both will report box office, which is a first for the company.
Premium formats have been the year’s scarce resource. IMAX is on track for a record $1.4 billion globally, and the competition for those screens has shaped release calendars.
Ticket prices have risen alongside attendance, so the dollar figures overstate how many more people are actually going. The trend is still up either way, and studios are behaving as though it will hold.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
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NBC News (August 2026), Paul Dergarabedian’s comments, the $10 billion year and $4 billion summer projections, and the record weekend
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Rotten Tomatoes (August 2026), the five-films-in-2026 versus three-in-2025 comparison
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NBCUniversal (August 2026), the $4 billion crossing and the domestic-international split
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TheWrap (August 2026), the Warner Bros. figure
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Deadline and Screen Daily (August 2026), the per-title grosses
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