Universal has reached a major box office milestone, becoming the first studio to surpass $5 billion in worldwide ticket sales in 2026 after its distributed films generated $1.788 billion domestically and $3.218 billion internationally.
This marks the third time Universal has crossed $5 billion in its history. The studio previously hit that milestone in 2015 and 2017.
For comparison, Universal was also the first studio to pass the $4 billion mark this year, reaching that figure in early August. Disney followed the next week, becoming the second studio to do so.
A handful of major releases have driven Universal’s performance this year. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has emerged as the studio’s biggest film ever, with its worldwide total reaching roughly $1.7 billion. The film, which released on July 17, 2026, is still in theaters and has become one of the biggest global releases in motion picture history. Meanwhile, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has generated about $1.01 billion worldwide, while Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic released by Lionsgate and distributed internationally by Universal, has reached over $1.02 billion.
Universal’s other releases also made significant contributions to its overall box office performance. Illumination’s Minions & Monsters has brought in more than $523 million worldwide, and Curry Barker’s Obsession has earned approximately $519 million at the global box office.
The performance of Obsession is particularly notable given its production budget of less than $1 million. The release has become Focus Features’ highest-grossing film worldwide, as well as the top-grossing release from Blumhouse Atomic Monster. It also holds records as the highest-grossing film festival acquisition and the highest-grossing movie ever made for under $1 million.
Universal still has several releases scheduled before the end of 2026 that could add to its worldwide total. Among the upcoming releases are Focker-In-Law on November 25, Violent Night 2 on December 4, and Werwulf, a follow-up to the 2024 film Nosferatu, on December 25.
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