Universal has reached the $5 billion global box office milestone for the third time in its history, driven by three of the year's five billion-dollar films.

Universal Pictures has become the first studio to surpass $5 billion at the global box office in 2026. The studio reached this milestone this week, with its total haul consisting of $1.788 billion domestically and $3.218 billion internationally. This marks the third time in the studio's history it has hit the $5 billion mark, having previously achieved the feat in 2015 and 2017.

Key Drivers of Box Office Success

The studio's performance has been bolstered by a slate of high-performing titles, including three of the five films released this year that have crossed the $1 billion global threshold: Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey,' 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,' and the Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael.' 'The Odyssey' has become Universal’s highest-grossing release ever, with reports of its worldwide total ranging from $1.7 billion to over $1.73 billion. 'Michael,' which Universal distributed internationally, has also surpassed 'Oppenheimer' to become the highest-grossing biopic overall.

Notable Performances and Future Slate

Beyond the billion-dollar hits, the studio saw success with Illumination’s 'Minions & Monsters' and the low-budget thriller 'Obsession,' which became the highest-grossing film for both Focus Features and Blumhouse Atomic Monster. Universal has topped the global weekend box office for 11 weekends so far this year. The studio’s remaining 2026 slate includes titles such as 'Forgotten Island,' 'Other Mommy,' 'Sense & Sensibility,' 'Focker-in-Law,' 'Violent Night 2,' and 'Werwulf.'