This is a significant year for the film industry, with the highest-grossing movies of 2026 at the worldwide box office showcasing the diverse range of titles that audiences are engaging with. As we enter the year, studios like Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, A24, and others are eager to be behind some of the year’s biggest hits, hoping their most anticipated movies will make the cut.
Major franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Universe, Star Wars, Dune, Toy Story, Hunger Games, and Super Mario have new installments either released or set to debut soon. Additionally, acclaimed directors like Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Robert Eggers, and David Fincher are bringing new films to theaters.
Numerous notable success stories have emerged. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson provided A24 with an early triumph through The Drama. Sony profited from their animated feature GOAT. The Scream and Mortal Kombat franchises returned with their highest box office performers to date. However, none can claim a spot among the year’s 10 highest-grossing movies.
As we approach the midpoint of the year, here are the biggest performers at the worldwide box office in 2026 thus far.
- Box office figures through August 9
- Latest movement: The Odyssey moves to #2
10
Minions & Monsters
Illumination’s Despicable Me franchise has secured a place in the top 10 as audiences continue to flock to the latest installment, Minions & Monsters. The animated sequel’s box office potential was initially questioned after a franchise-low opening weekend of only $37 million domestically, despite rave reviews for Minions & Monsters.
Currently, the third Minions has grossed $473.5 million worldwide. Of this total, $176.3 million has been generated from domestic theaters, while international audiences have contributed $297.1 million. It will need strong legs to climb higher in the rankings and finish with a total substantial enough to maintain its position.
9
Obsession
Obsession is the box office phenomenon that continues to thrive. Curry Barker’s film has grossed $488 million worldwide since its debut on May 15. Of this total, $224.7 million has come from international markets, while domestic audiences have significantly contributed with $263.3 million earned so far.
The strong word of mouth surrounding Obsession‘s success is noteworthy. After opening with $17.1 million, it improved its performance over consecutive weekends, earning $23.9 million and $27.3 million in its second and third weekends respectively. Even during its fourth and fifth weekends ($25.3 million and $19 million), it outperformed its opening weekend. Notably, Obsession remained in the top five for its first seven weekends domestically.
8
Pegasus 3
The racing movie sequel, Pegasus 3, is one of the highest-grossing films of 2026 that many have yet to see. After all, it only made $1.3 million at the domestic box office and has been released in just five other territories. The film’s impressive total of $656.4 million is primarily due to its success in China.
Pegasus 3 earned an astounding $653.9 million in China alone after its release on February 17 during Chinese New Year. The first two films were also big hits there, grossing $255.5 million and $422.3 million respectively. This makes Pegasus 3 not only the highest-grossing film in its franchise but also gives it the largest international total of any movie released in 2026 so far.
7
Project Hail Mary
Amazon MGM has found its first true blockbuster hit with Project Hail Mary. The sci-fi film starring Ryan Gosling hit theaters on March 20 and has grossed $683.9 million at the box office so far. Its domestic and international earnings are nearly balanced at $344 million and $339.8 million respectively.
The film had an impressive opening weekend of $80.5 million domestically and maintained strong legs throughout its run, not experiencing a drop greater than 42% until its eleventh weekend of release. It has become Amazon MGM’s highest-grossing film and is also Ryan Gosling’s second-biggest movie after surpassing fellow Andy Weir adaptation, The Martian, which grossed $630.6 million.
6
The Devil Wears Prada 2
