Hollywood’s 2026 box office is shaping up to be a genuinely strong one, with a mix of franchise tentpoles, star-driven originals and a couple of low-budget sleeper hits dominating the conversation.

Trade reports suggest the domestic box office is on track for a $10 billion year, according to Variety, and the list of winners so far spans everything from animated sequels to horror breakouts built on shoestring budgets.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Worldwide gross: Over $1 billion

Universal and Illumination’s animated sequel remains the year’s single biggest Hollywood success story, having crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide, as per Variety. On the profitability side, its $110 million budget against a $1 billion-plus gross puts its earnings-to-budget ratio at roughly 9x, making it one of the best-performing films of the year on that measure too.

Michael

Worldwide gross: Over $1 billion

Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, the Lionsgate biopic, has also crossed the $1 billion mark globally, according to Variety, becoming only the second film of 2026 to do so and the first biopic in history to reach the milestone. Domestically, the film has grossed north of $370 million, breaking the opening-weekend record previously held by Straight Outta Compton. It remains one of the year’s clearest sleeper success stories, outperforming expectations for a music biopic at this scale.

Toy Story 5

Worldwide gross: Approaching $960 million

Disney and Pixar’s fifth entry in the franchise is on track to become the year’s third $1 billion release and is already the third-highest grosser of 2026. It also delivered the year’s biggest domestic opening weekend at $160 million. But its $275 million budget — one of the most expensive animated films ever made — puts its earnings-to-budget ratio at only around 3.5x, making it one of the weaker performers among the year’s top earners on a returns basis, alongside Project Hail Mary.

Project Hail Mary

Worldwide gross: Over $683 million

Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, has grossed more than $683 million worldwide, according to Forbes, making it the fourth-highest-grossing Hollywood film of the year globally. What has stood out to industry experts is its unusually strong holds — a modest drop from its opening weekend, atypical for a non-franchise blockbuster of this scale. Despite its high earnings, the film reportedly ranks lowest on earnings-to-budget among the year’s top earners, owing to its high production cost — a reminder that biggest gross does not always mean most profitable.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Worldwide gross: Over $650 million

20th Century Studios’ sequel, reuniting Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt two decades after the original, has grossed north of $650 million worldwide against a $100 million budget — a return of roughly 6.7x. It’s the fourth-highest grosser of 2026 and a clear win for a franchise many assumed had run its course.

Hoppers

Worldwide gross: Over $512 million

Disney and Pixar’s original animated adventure, directed by Daniel Chong, has grossed more than $512 million worldwide against a $150 million budget — a return of roughly 3.4x. Released in March, well ahead of the year’s other big animated hits, it delivered the strongest domestic opening for a Pixar original since 2017’s Coco and briefly stood as 2026’s highest-grossing Hollywood release before The Super Mario Galaxy Movie overtook it. In a year dominated by sequels and biopics, Hoppers is the clearest reminder that an original idea can still open big — and hold.

Obsession

Worldwide gross: Over $442 million

Focus Features’ horror hit Obsession was made on a reported $750,000 budget and has grossed more than $442 million worldwide, according to Forbes and Deadline, going on to become Focus Features’ highest-grossing release in the studio’s history.

The film achieved the rare feat of increasing its box office in its second and third weekends outside the holiday season — a feat not seen since Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982 — and it surpassed The Blair Witch Project as the highest-grossing horror festival acquisition of all time.

Backrooms

Worldwide gross: Over $368 million

A24’s Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons, has grossed more than $368 million worldwide, according to Variety. Built on a $10 million budget, that works out to a return of roughly 35 times its production cost, riding a wave of Gen Z enthusiasm for the film. Parsons is now recognised as the youngest director to debut at number one at the US box office.