Disney just became the first studio to gross $2 billion at the box office in 2026
With a string of successes so far, and some major releases on the slate, Disney is storming the box office this year.
Right after an earnings beat last Wednesday, the second weekend of May marked yet another box office triumph for movie powerhouse Disney.
Following a groundbreaking debut, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” added $118.8 million worldwide across its second weekend — not only seeing the stylish sequel stay atop the box office, but also bringing Disney Studios’ total global cinema ticket takings to over $2 billion worldwide in just the first five months of 2026, per Deadline. This makes the House of Mouse the only studio so far to reach the milestone this year, having also bested Warner Bros. and Universal by some way in the 2025 studio rankings.
Other titles that have added to Disney’s total since January include “Hoppers” ($371.7 million globally) and “Send Help” ($94 million). But holdover theatrical earnings from late 2025 releases “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” — which have now grossed almost $1.87 billion and $1.49 billion worldwide, respectively — have also helped to boost the company’s 2026 tally.
Disney is no stranger to a billion-dollar blockbuster. According to data collated by Box Office Mojo, there are just 60 films that have grossed more than $1 billion since their release... and Disney Studios is now behind 35 of them. Even more staggeringly, Disney owns the rights to six of the seven movies that have notched lifetime grosses exceeding $2 billion.
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Across its expansive portfolio of hit factories — Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios, to name a few — Disney has become a moneymaking machine at the box office, with “Star Wars” spin-off “The Mandalorian and Grogu” set to premiere later this month and the hotly anticipated “Avengers: Doomsday” slated for December.
However, as the company highlighted in last week’s earnings, it doesn’t just stop at the silver screen. With streaming revenue growing 13% in Q2, Disney+ is clearly cashing in on the rewatchability of some of its family-friendly movies, only adding to their universal box office appeal.
