The First $1 Billion Film of 2026 Has Been Identified

The First $1 Billion Film of 2026 Has Been Identified

By the end of this week, the film had earned $428.5 million in the U.S. domestic market and $571.5 million internationally, pushing its worldwide box office total past the $1 billion mark.

The previous installment, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide in 2023. As a result, the Mario franchise has become one of Hollywood’s highest-grossing animated series, with combined ticket sales of $2.3 billion globally, ranking ninth among animated franchises.

It now stands alongside major animated franchises such as:

• Inside Out — $2.56 billion from two films;
• Kung Fu Panda — $2.37 billion from four films;
• Madagascar — $2.26 billion from seven films.

The highest-grossing animated franchise remains Despicable Me. Created by Universal and Illumination, the six-film series has generated $5.64 billion worldwide.

In the U.S. domestic market, the Mario franchise ranks fifth among animated film series, behind:

• Despicable Me,
• Shrek,
• Toy Story,
• Inside Out.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie once again brings together Universal, Illumination, and Nintendo. In the film, Mario and his friends — Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, and Princess Peach — travel across the galaxy to rescue Princess Rosalina from Bowser and his son.

Meanwhile, Michael, the biographical film about Michael Jackson, is also approaching the $1 billion milestone. After seven weeks in theaters, its worldwide gross has reached $888 million.