Universal has passed the $5 billion mark at the global box office for the third time in its history and became the first Hollywood studio to reach this result in 2026.
The films distributed by Universal have brought in $1.788 billion in North America and $3.218 billion in international markets. The result was supported by productions from Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and Focus Features.
The main drivers of revenue include director Christopher Nolan's “The Odyssey“, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie“, the musical biopic “Michael“, “Minions & Monsters“ and the surprise box office hit “Obsession“.
Universal's performance among the highest-grossing titles of the year is particularly strong. Of the five films to surpass $1 billion at the global box office in 2026, the studio is distributing three – – “The Odyssey“, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie“ and “Michael“. The other two productions in the billionaire club are Sony/Marvel's “Spider-Man: Brand New Day“ and Disney/Pixar's “Toy Story 5“.
“The Odyssey“ is the highest-grossing film in Universal's history
The epic “The Odyssey“ from the “Oscar“ Christopher Nolan's film has become the most successful film in Universal's history, grossing an estimated $1.7 billion worldwide. The production is now among the top ten highest-grossing films from MPA Studios in the history of the global and international box office.
The other big breakthrough was the psychological thriller “Obsession“ directed by Curry Barker. The film earned $519 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing production in Focus Features' history, as well as the most successful title from Blumhouse Atomic Monster.
The achievement is even more impressive because of the budget. “Obsession“ was shot for less than $1 million, making it one of the most profitable blockbusters of 2026.
“Michael“ set a record among musical biopics
A strong contribution has also been made by “Michael“, dedicated to the life and career of Michael Jackson. The film has accumulated 1.028 billion dollars at the global box office.
The Lionsgate production, which Universal distributes in international markets, overtook “Bohemian Rhapsody“ and became the highest-grossing musical biopic ever. “Michael“ also surpassed Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer“ in global revenues, setting a new box office record among biopics.
For Universal, this is the third year in history in which global box office revenues have exceeded 5 billion dollars. The studio achieved the same result in 2015 and 2017.
By the end of 2026, the company has several more major premieres. Among them are “Other Mommy“ with actress Jessica Chastain, the new adaptation of “Sense & Sensibility“ with Daisy Edgar-Jones, “Focker-In-Law“ with Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and Ariana Grande, “Violent Night 2“ and “Werwulf“ by director Robert Eggers, which is due to be released in cinemas on December 25.