Hollywood has already released five billion-dollar movies in 2026, putting the global box office on a particularly strong footing as the year enters its final stretch. The five films to cross the $1 billion worldwide mark are Universal and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Lionsgate’s Michael, Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, Sony and Marvel’s Spider Man: Brand New Day and Universal’s Christopher Nolan directed The Odyssey.
Current worldwide figures put Spider Man: Brand New Day at around $1.69 billion, The Odyssey at $1.12 billion, Toy Story 5 at $1.10 billion, Michael at $1.02 billion and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie at about $1.01 billion.
What makes the achievement particularly significant is where it places 2026 historically. This is only the fourth year in which at least five movies have crossed $1 billion worldwide. The previous years to achieve that feat were 2015, 2018 and 2019, with 2019 ultimately producing nine billion-dollar movies.
For perspective, 2015 had five billion-dollar films:
Furious 7,
Jurassic World,
Minions,
Avengers: Age of Ultron, and
Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
In 2018, the five were
Black Panther,
Avengers: Infinity War,
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,
Incredibles 2, and
Aquaman.
The record year remains 2019, when nine films crossed the $1 billion worldwide mark:
Avengers: Endgame,
The Lion King,
Frozen 2,
Spider Man: Far From Home,
Captain Marvel,
Joker,
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,
Toy Story 4,
and Aladdin.
The composition of this year’s club is equally revealing. It is not being driven by one particular genre or studio. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Toy Story 5 demonstrate the continuing strength of family animation and globally recognised gaming and entertainment IP. Spider Man: Brand New Day has shown the extraordinary pulling power of a major superhero franchise, while The Odyssey has demonstrated that an original large scale theatrical event built around a filmmaker can still command enormous audiences. Michael, meanwhile, has become the first biopic to cross the $1 billion worldwide mark.
Spider Man: Brand New Day is currently the clear leader. The Tom Holland starrer reached $1 billion worldwide in just six days and has since surged to approximately $1.67 billion, including more than $1 billion from international markets. That makes it the second fastest film ever to cross $1 billion internationally.
The Odyssey has provided an entirely different kind of billion-dollar story. Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic has crossed $1.1 billion worldwide and has become the filmmaker’s highest grossing film ever, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises. Its performance has also been closely tied to the premium large format business, particularly IMAX, underlining the growing importance of theatrical films that offer audiences a reason to see them on the biggest possible screen.
Toy Story 5 was the third film of the year to reach the milestone and went past $1 billion after a sustained theatrical run driven by family audiences and international markets. Its current worldwide total is above $1.09 billion.
Michael has another distinction. The Michael Jackson biopic has become the first biographical film in history to cross $1 billion worldwide, giving Lionsgate its first billion-dollar movie. The achievement is particularly notable because biopics are rarely treated as conventional global blockbuster properties, making Michael an unusual addition to the club.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie got there first. The Nintendo based animated sequel became the first 2026 release to cross $1 billion, eventually moving beyond the $1 billion mark after a major international run. The film followed the extraordinary performance of its predecessor, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which had itself grossed around $1.36 billion worldwide in 2023.
There is also an important business lesson in the five films. Four of the five are sequels or established intellectual property, while The Odyssey is powered by one of Hollywood’s strongest contemporary filmmaking brands. In other words, the billion-dollar threshold continues to favour films that arrive with an unusually strong theatrical proposition, whether that comes from a recognised character, a beloved franchise, a major filmmaker or an iconic real life personality.
The bigger story for exhibitors and studios, therefore, may not simply be that five films have crossed $1 billion. It is that audiences are once again demonstrating a willingness to turn major theatrical releases into global events. With several months still remaining in 2026, the final number could yet rise further, giving Hollywood a realistic opportunity to move closer to the billion-dollar volume seen during the pre pandemic blockbuster era.
For now, however, the message from the worldwide box office is already clear. Five films have crossed $1 billion in 2026, and the industry has reached that level of blockbuster concentration for the first time since the extraordinary theatrical years of the late 2010s.