Universal, Sony and Disney top Hollywood’s 2026 box office leaderboard
If you think the studio pecking order’s predictable, the 2026 box office just shuffled the deck, with new players crashing the top five and others getting bounced.
Universal has the year’s cleanest one-two punch so far, riding The Odyssey and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie to the front of the pack. Sony has muscled into second on the back of Spider- Man: Brand New Day , while Disney ’s haul is built around fresh franchise chapters including Toy Story 5 and The Devil Wears Prada 2. The surprise wrinkle: Amazon MGM and Lionsgate have crashed the top five off the strength of single, outsized performers, nudging two legacy studios down the board.
- Universal — about $1.43 billion domestic in 2026 to date
- Sony — about $1.18 billion
- Disney — about $1.05 billion
- Amazon MGM — about $557 million
- Lionsgate — about $518 million
What’s powering the leaders
Universal’s advantage is spread across animation and prestige spectacle, with The Odyssey drawing steady interest and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie delivering family traffic all year. Sony’s gap-closer is pure superhero juice: Spider-Man: Brand New Day has done the heavy lifting for its domestic total.
Disney’s 2026 has leaned on two known quantities. Toy Story 5 added another reliable Pixar wave, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 turned nostalgia into repeat business.
- Amazon MGM — Project Hail Mary has reached about $344 million domestic
- Lionsgate — Michael has crossed about $372 million domestic
Universal leads the 2026 domestic box office at about $1.43 billion as of Sept. 15.
Warner Bros. and Paramount ’s quieter year
Without a single mega-hit to anchor the slate, Warner Bros. and Paramount are playing catch-up. Warner Bros.’ biggest earners to date are Wuthering Heights (around $84 million), Mortal Kombat II (nearly $80 million) and Supergirl (roughly $72 million), with summer thriller The End of Oak Street passing about $53 million.
- Paramount — Scream 7 at nearly $122 million
- Paramount — Scary Movie past $108 million
- Paramount — PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie over $51 million
- Paramount — By Any Means opened in September
There’s runway left on the calendar. Paramount still has Heart of the Beast, Street Fighter, Ebenezer and The Angry Birds Movie 3 on deck, and Warner Bros. has major releases ahead as well. The figures above reflect domestic totals reported through Sept. 15.