Universal Pictures crossed $5 billion at the worldwide box office for 2026 on Friday, Sept. 25, becoming the first studio to reach the mark this year. The total combined about $1.788 billion in domestic ticket sales with $3.218 billion from international markets, according to figures released by the studio. The company presented the number as a benchmark for a year that has run ahead of recent expectations for theatrical revenue.
Three films drove the bulk of the haul. Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” led with roughly $1.73 billion worldwide, followed by the music biopic “Michael” at about $1.03 billion and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” at close to $1.01 billion. Each cleared the billion-dollar threshold, a rare feat for a single studio in one year, and the trio helped Universal assemble one of the deepest slates of the year. “The Odyssey” opened to a record start for Nolan earlier in the year and has continued to draw audiences abroad.
Other titles added to the tally. “Minions & Monsters” ranked among the year’s top-grossing releases worldwide, and “Obsession,” released through Universal’s Focus Features label, became the specialty division’s highest-grossing film to date. The spread of hits across animation and live-action helped the studio build its lead. Universal’s animated releases have been a steady source of overseas revenue through the year.
The milestone marked the third time Universal has passed $5 billion in a single calendar year, following earlier runs in 2015 and 2017. The studio reached the figure earlier in the year than in either of those campaigns, with several titles still on the release calendar for the fall and winter. The feat has occurred only a few times in the studio’s history.
The result underscored a strong stretch for theatrical moviegoing after uneven years across the industry. “The Odyssey” alone became one of the largest earners of Nolan’s career and a central pillar of the studio’s year. Reaching $5 billion this early leaves room for Universal to challenge annual records set in prior years, and the company has additional wide releases scheduled before the end of December. Rival studios remained in pursuit, though none had reached the same line by the time of the announcement.
