Entertainment

Universal Becomes First Studio to Pass $4 Billion at 2026 Global Box Office

Universal has become the first Hollywood studio to exceed $4 billion at the global box office in 2026, while Disney was the first major studio to pass the $3 billion milestone worldwide at the end of June.

The achievement comes as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey continues its impressive theatrical run. After three weekends, the film has accumulated $911 million globally and is closing in on the $1 billion mark. During its third weekend, The Odyssey earned $136.2 million worldwide, including $68 million from IMAX screens. That result marked IMAX’s second-highest-grossing weekend ever. The film occupied nearly all IMAX screens during the same weekend as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has generated $927 million worldwide, except in China, Japan, and South Korea, where Nolan’s film has yet to open.

This is Universal’s first time reaching the $4 billion global box office milestone since 2023 and the fifth occasion the studio has surpassed the mark in its history. Last year, Warner Bros. became the first studio to cross $4 billion worldwide, although Disney ultimately finished the year as the overall box office leader.

Universal’s 2026 worldwide total consists of $1.53 billion from the domestic market and $2.48 billion from international territories.

Among Universal’s major accomplishments so far this year are:

  • Only three films have surpassed $1 billion globally in 2026, with Universal accounting for two of them: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Michael.
  • Universal has topped the global weekend box office for 10 weekends during 2026.
  • Universal and Focus Features have five of the 10 highest-grossing films worldwide this year, including three of the top five: Michael (No. 2), The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (No. 3), The Odyssey (No. 4), Obsession (No. 9), and Minions & Monsters (No. 10).
  • Three of the five highest-grossing films worldwide in 2026 are internationally distributed by Universal: The Odyssey, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Michael.
  • Obsession has officially become the highest-grossing film in Focus Features’ history worldwide, while also setting a new global box office record for Blumhouse Atomic Monster with $475 million.

Raeesa Sayyad

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