Universal Crosses $5 Billion at the Global Box Office, First Studio to Reach Milestone in 2026

Universal Film has just claimed the $5 billion mark at the 2026 box office, announcing a record-breaking $1.788 billion domestically and $3.218 billion internationally. This makes Universal the first studio to achieve this milestone globally, a first for the company since 2017 and only the third time ever, following their initial $5 billion haul in 2015.

This impressive feat can be attributed to three major box office successes: Christopher Nolan’s "The Odyssey" (currently the second-highest global film of the year and Universal's biggest film), Antoine Fuqua's "Michael" (ranking fourth globally), and Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic's "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" (ranking fifth).

Each of these films generated $1 billion at the box office on their own, with "The Odyssey" earning approximately $1.73 billion, "Michael" around $1.03 billion, and "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" accumulating $1.01 billion. In addition to these major hits, Universal also benefited from several other high-performing films such as "Minions & Monsters" (featuring the popular Minions character, grossing $523 million globally) and "Obsession" (a sleeper hit with $519 million worldwide).

With 11 weekends in the lead this year, Universal still has a few more releases on the horizon like Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado's animated film "Forgotten Island," Rob Savage's "Other Mommy," Georgia Oakley's "Sense & Sensibility," Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, and Ariana Grande's comedy "Focker-in-Law," and Robert Eggers' holiday release "Werwulf."

The studio's continued success in the box office reinforces the enduring popularity of movie theaters in 2026.