{"id":8085950,"date":"2026-09-25T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/?p=8085950"},"modified":"2026-09-25T11:00:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T18:00:35","slug":"universal-2026-box-office-5-billion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/industry-news\/box-office\/universal-2026-box-office-5-billion\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Crosses $5 Billion at 2026 Box Office"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Universal Film just won the $5 billion race at the 2026 box office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The studio announced Friday that it generated $1.788 billion domestically and $3.218 billion internationally, making it the first company to cross the $5 billion-threshold at the global box office. This marks the first time Universal has generated such a sum since 2017 \u2014\u00a0and only the third time ever after first doing so in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This haul was aided in large part by a trio of box office heavy hitters: Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey<\/a>” (currently the year’s No. 2 film at the global box office and Universal’s biggest film of all time), Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael” (No. 4 film at the global box office) and Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (No. 5). These three IP-fueled adaptations (if you want to call “The Odyssey” IP) each made $1 billion hauls on their own, with “The Odyssey” (still in theaters) earning roughly $1.73 billion, “Michael” making around $1.03 billion and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” raking in $1.01 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tHow Zach Cregger Powered 'Resident Evil' to Box Office Records<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Universal Film also had a handful of heavy hitters that were outside the $1 billion club. Pierre Coffin’s “Minions & Monsters,” the third film to star the iconic babbling yellow creatures and the seventh “Despicable Me” movie overall, has made $523 million globally to date. Curry Barker’s “Obsession” stood out as a sleeper phenomenon, grossing $519 million worldwide. This makes it both the highest-grossing film festival acquisition of all time<\/a> and the highest-grossing film with a budget below $1 million in history<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The studio, which has thus far topped the global box office 11 weekends this year, still has a handful of other features that could push this total even further. This weekend saw the release of Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado’s singular animated feature “Forgotten Island<\/a>.” In October, Universal Film will have the counter-programming of Rob Savage’s “Other Mommy” (with a trailer that’s been giving audiences some killer Jessica Chastain jump scares) and Georgia Oakley’s “Sense & Sensibility<\/a>.” Down the way, they’ll have the Ben Stiller\/Robert DeNiro\/Ariana Grande-led comedy “Focker-in-Law” and Robert Eggers’ “Werwulf<\/a>” (the follow-up to his $182 million-grossing horror feature “Nosferatu”) among their holiday slate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the highest-grossing summer in box office history, this total is another sign that the movies are, indeed, so back.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tThe Summer Box Office Blew Past Records. But Can Theaters Sustain the Momentum? | Analysis<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The studio behind “The Odyssey” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” becomes the first to pass the milestone this year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10238,"featured_media":8052078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":512278,"post_id":7780473}}]},"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"nb_breaking_email_type":"b8b5eaae-7af7-4a7d-8ff2-8ed7e2f9029d","nb_breaking_template":"single-story.html","nb_breaking_from_name":"TheWrap","nb_breaking_subject":"","nb_breaking_preview":"","nb_breaking_list":[],"nb_breaking_header_img":7555420,"nb_breaking_should_send":false,"nb_breaking_content":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"WrapPRO<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Discover why entertainment executives and professionals rely on the WrapPRO platform daily for exclusive coverage, analysis, deeper reporting, and access to VIP events & screenings throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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