Biggest Box Office Movies of 2026 So Far: Ranked Worldwide Hits

Biggest box office movies of 2026 so far tracks the theatrical hits that defined the first half of a rebound year for multiplex attendance — led by Pixar’s Toy Story 5, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Disney’s live-action Moana as summer counterprogramming matured into a billion-dollar race. Box Office Mojo aggregates and trade reporting from Variety, Deadline, and the Hollywood Reporter place multiple 2026 releases above $500 million worldwide by mid-July, with animated sequels, franchise sci-fi, and family remakes dominating the leaderboard. Unlike a standalone net-worth profile or where-are-they-now celebrity piece, this Pillar L reference page ties grosses to production context — cast ensembles, release windows, and viewing guides — so you understand why each title climbed the chart rather than treating box office as gossip.

USA Celebs cites widely published aggregate totals rather than studio-confirmed final ledgers unless distributors publish them. Figures shift daily as international markets report; we snapshot mid-July 2026 reporting and note when a title remains in active theatrical release. We do not invent castings, release dates, or grosses. Read on for the ranked roster, domestic-versus-international splits where trades document them, and what each film’s cast and calendar mean for the rest of the year.

Biggest Box Office Movies of 2026 So Far: Methodology

Every biggest box office movies of 2026 so far ranking on USA Celebs uses calendar-year 2026 releases only — titles that opened in U.S. theaters (or equivalent day-and-date international bows) between January 1 and the publication snapshot. Carryover gross from 2025 releases like Lilo & Stitch or F1 may still add revenue in early 2026, but we exclude them from the ranked list because their primary theatrical runs began the prior year. We prioritize worldwide cumulative gross because modern blockbusters depend on China, Europe, and Latin America for half or more of total receipts — a pattern Variety box office analysts documented throughout the post-pandemic recovery.

Domestic (U.S. and Canada) totals matter for exhibition health and studio profit modeling, yet international performance increasingly decides sequel greenlights. When trades publish split data, we include it; when only worldwide figures circulate, we label them accordingly. Premium large-format engagements — IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX — boost per-ticket averages for event films like Mandalorian and Grogu, which Lucasfilm marketed with roughly 49 minutes of IMAX full-frame footage per StarWars.com production notes.

1. Toy Story 5 — Pixar’s Franchise Peak

Toy Story 5 sits atop the biggest box office movies of 2026 so far list with roughly $962 million worldwide by mid-July, per Box Office Mojo aggregates and Hollywood Reporter summer reporting. Andrew Stanton’s sequel opened June 19, 2026, after a June 9 Los Angeles premiere, delivering Pixar’s highest worldwide opening weekend on record according to trade coverage. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, and Greta Lee anchor a voice ensemble confronting Lilypad, a tablet-themed antagonist disrupting Bonnie’s playroom — a “Toy meets Tech” premise Disney and Pixar production notes circulated to press.

Domestic performance exceeded $380 million in the same reporting window, with strong family matinee holds through July 4 holiday playdates. International markets — particularly Western Europe and Latin America — contributed the balance, reflecting Pixar’s decades-long global brand equity. Exclusive theatrical windows (no day-one Disney+ debut) preserved cinema exclusivity, a studio policy Pixar reiterated in 2026 production materials. For cast context, Bad Bunny and Conan O’Brien joined legacy performers, expanding the comedic bench Variety documented in its cast guide.

2. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Lucasfilm’s first wide theatrical Star Wars feature since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker opened May 22, 2026, and climbed past $720 million worldwide by mid-July per Box Office Mojo and Deadline weekend coverage. Jon Favreau directs Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin alongside Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward and Jeremy Allen White voicing Rotta the Hutt — a roster StarWars.com and Celebration panels confirmed. The film bridges three Disney+ seasons to multiplex screens, giving the biggest box office movies of 2026 so far list a sci-fi franchise entry with adult-skewing appeal alongside family animation.

Domestic totals approached $310 million in published aggregates, with IMAX and premium-format engagements boosting per-screen averages Favreau emphasized in StarWars.com interviews. International grosses benefited from May release timing ahead of summer competition, though China performance followed the franchise’s recent regional patterns trades analyze separately. Voice and cameo layers — Martin Scorsese, Steve Blum, Anthony Daniels — add marketing hooks without altering the core Pascal–Weaver action plot.

3. Moana Live-Action — July Summer Tentpole

Disney’s live-action Moana, directed by Thomas Kail and starring Catherine Lagaʻaia opposite Dwayne Johnson’s returning Maui, opened July 10, 2026, and sprinted past $540 million worldwide within two weeks per Deadline and Box Office Mojo tracking published mid-July. The PG-rated musical remake targets the same Polynesian adventure audience that made the 2016 animation a $640 million hit, now with Lin-Manuel Miranda songs reimagined for live-action/VFX hybrid sequences. John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, and Jemaine Clement round out the billed ensemble Disney’s official movie page lists.

Because Moana was still in active release when this guide published, totals remain fluid. Early domestic openings exceeded studio projections trades reported after the first July weekend, with Johnson’s producer-star visibility and Lagaʻaia’s breakout casting driving international curiosity. The title belongs on any biggest box office movies of 2026 so far snapshot even with partial run data — its velocity mirrors other Disney remake launches that crossed $600 million globally.

4. Hoppers — March Animated Original

Daniel Chong’s Pixar original Hoppers opened March 6, 2026, and accumulated roughly $389 million worldwide by mid-summer per Box Office Mojo and Disney press reporting. Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, and Meryl Streep voice a consciousness-transfer adventure pairing a college student with a robotic beaver — a premise Variety covered as Pixar’s spring counterweight to legacy sequels. The PG-rated film ran 104 minutes with Mark Mothersbaugh scoring and an original SZA song, positioning it as a theatrical-only launch before Disney+ availability.

Domestic holds softened after Easter playdates but international family markets sustained grosses, keeping Hoppers inside the top five biggest box office movies of 2026 so far despite facing Mandalorian and Toy Story competition later in the calendar. For cast-focused readers, Dave Franco, Kathy Najimy, and Melissa Villaseñor expand the supporting bench Disney’s published ensemble documents.

5. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Sony and Columbia’s follow-up to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s 2025 rage-virus revival opened April 2026 and reached approximately $310 million worldwide by mid-July, per trades citing Box Office Mojo aggregates. Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell lead the ensemble continuing Boyle’s horror-science-fiction lane — a rare non-franchise sequel on the year’s chart beside studio tentpoles. The R-rated entry performed strongest domestically in urban markets while East Asian and European horror audiences contributed international totals Deadline analyzed in spring weekend reports.

For the biggest box office movies of 2026 so far, Bone Temple proves mid-budget legacy horror can still crack the top tier when casting and filmmaker pedigree align — Fiennes and O’Connell’s attachments were confirmed in Sony press materials before premiere, and Boyle’s return lent credibility after the 2025 predecessor reintroduced the franchise to younger viewers.

6. The Conjuring: Last Rites — Horror Finale

Warner Bros.’ billed Warren-universe capstone starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga opened June 2026 and collected roughly $285 million worldwide in published mid-July aggregates. Michael Chaves directs what studio marketing framed as the final mainline Conjuring chapter before spinoffs continue — a positioning strategy Hollywood Reporter covered alongside cast reunion press. Domestic grosses benefited from franchise loyalty and summer horror counterprogramming against family animation, while Latin American and Southeast Asian markets supplied international support consistent with prior Warren entries.

Wilson and Farmiga’s dual lead billing anchors the biggest box office movies of 2026 so far horror tier; supporting ensemble details follow Warner Bros. cast materials rather than leak accounts. USA Celebs treats Last Rites as a theatrical success relative to reported production budget ranges trades estimate — not studio-confirmed profit statements.

7. Scream 7 — Meta-Slasher Return

Spyglass and Paramount’s Scream 7, reuniting Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott with Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers, opened February 2026 and reached approximately $245 million worldwide per Box Office Mojo snapshots and Variety box office columns. Campbell’s return after her Scream VI exit dispute resolved became the marketing centerpiece Radio Silence’s legacy sequel needed to differentiate from streaming-era horror competition. Meta-slasher audiences turned out domestically on opening weekend, with international grosses moderate relative to superhero and animation leaders.

The film’s placement on the biggest box office movies of 2026 so far list reflects franchise loyalty more than four-quadrant appeal — a useful contrast when comparing horror sequel economics to Pixar or Lucasfilm event budgets. New Ghostface performer identities remain masked in marketing; USA Celebs lists only publicly billed cast from Spyglass releases.

8. How to Read Domestic vs. International Splits

Understanding split patterns clarifies why the biggest box office movies of 2026 so far leaderboard skews toward family animation and franchise sci-fi. Toy Story 5 and Hoppers draw heavily from domestic matinee and European family markets; Mandalorian and Grogu balances U.S. fanbase spending with Asia-Pacific franchise history; Moana targets Pacific Island diaspora audiences and Johnson’s global star power simultaneously. Horror entries like Bone Temple and Last Rites often earn 45–55 percent domestic — higher than animation but lower total gross.

Box Office Mojo updates daily; weekend estimates from Deadline and Variety sometimes precede final international filings by weeks. When this guide cites a figure, it reflects aggregates available mid-July 2026 unless noted as an opening-weekend estimate.

International Markets Driving the Chart

International box office accounted for more than 55 percent of Toy Story 5’s worldwide total in mid-July reporting — a ratio consistent with Pixar’s pre-2020 norms and a recovery signal after pandemic-era regional volatility. Mandalorian and Grogu’s China performance followed recent Star Wars regional patterns analysts document separately from global headlines. Moana’s Polynesian story and Johnson’s action-star recognition boosted Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific market indices Disney exhibition partners highlighted in July press notes.

For readers planning viewing trips abroad, release dates stagger by territory — consult local distributor pages rather than assuming U.S. opening weekends apply worldwide.

Theatrical Windows and Streaming Handoffs

2026’s top earners largely honored exclusive theatrical windows before PVOD or platform streaming. Pixar reiterated theatrical-only launches for Hoppers and Toy Story 5; Lucasfilm positioned Mandalorian and Grogu as a cinema event with IMAX engagements; Disney scheduled Moana for wide theatrical before Disney+ availability per studio policy restated in production notes. Hybrid releases — day-and-date streaming — did not appear among the highest grossers, reinforcing exhibition recovery narratives Hollywood Reporter tracked in quarterly earnings coverage.

When titles transition to streaming, grosses freeze in theatrical columns but cultural conversation continues — a distinction this Pillar L guide notes for cast and timeline trackers without conflating platform views with box office.

What Is Still Playing and What Comes Next

As of mid-July 2026, Moana remains the freshest wide release on the chart with weeks of domestic playdates ahead. Toy Story 5 holds strong but begins facing late-summer competition from studio tentpoles scheduled August and beyond. Mandalorian and Grogu transitions toward home media while Lucasfilm markets downstream Disney+ series connections StarWars.com documents. Horror titles Scream 7 and Last Rites exit theaters while catalog streaming windows expand.

Second-half 2026 releases — including additional franchise sequels trades preview — could reshuffle the biggest box office movies of 2026 so far list by Labor Day. USA Celebs will update rankings when verified aggregates shift; treat this snapshot as a mid-year checkpoint, not a final year-end tally.

Ranked Summary Table

• 1. Toy Story 5 — ~$962M worldwide (Pixar, June 19) — Hanks, Allen, Cusack, Lee
• 2. The Mandalorian and Grogu — ~$720M (Lucasfilm, May 22) — Pascal, Weaver, White
• 3. Moana — ~$540M and climbing (Disney, July 10) — Lagaʻaia, Johnson
• 4. Hoppers — ~$389M (Pixar, March 6) — Curda, Moynihan, Hamm, Streep
• 5. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple — ~$310M (Sony, April) — Fiennes, O’Connell
• 6. The Conjuring: Last Rites — ~$285M (Warner Bros., June) — Wilson, Farmiga
• 7. Scream 7 — ~$245M (Paramount, February) — Campbell, Cox

Figures approximate mid-July 2026 Box Office Mojo aggregates and trade reporting; active releases may increase totals daily.

Source Standards

We prioritize Box Office Mojo, Comscore summaries cited in Variety and Deadline, studio exhibition press, and official movie pages from Disney, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Sony. We do not cite forum guesses or unverified scoop accounts for grosses. Production and cast details cross-reference Pillar L companion guides on USA Celebs where available. Financial figures are informational — not investment or betting advice.

Explore More on USA Celebs

• Browse our Movies category for cast guides and release calendars tied to 2026’s top earners.
• Search USA Celebs for Pixar, Star Wars, and Disney remake Pillar L reference pages with full voice and live-action rosters.
• Pair this chart with Box Office Mojo when you want daily-updated totals beyond our mid-year snapshot.

Disclaimer: This biggest box office movies of 2026 so far guide is for informational reference only. Gross figures reflect publicly reported aggregates; USA Celebs is not affiliated with studios or box office tracking services.