The list of films that have grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office has grown to 65, and two 2026 releases have just joined it. Deadline’s latest rundown of the billion-dollar club highlights the biopic Michael and the animated sequel The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as the newest entries.
A record for the biopic genre
Michael, released by Lionsgate and Universal, has passed the $1 billion mark. According to the report, that makes it the most successful biopic in history. It is also a first for Lionsgate, which had not previously had a film reach that level of global ticket sales.
Audience reaction has been strong. One viewer quoted in the coverage said they grew up with the music of Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees and ABBA. They called it the best film they had ever seen and said it was so absorbing that they usually needed a break from films after about half an hour, but not this time.
Mario returns to the milestone
The second new entry is The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, from Universal, Illumination and Nintendo. It reached $1 billion in early June. It continues a run of success for the franchise, since the first film, 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, is also in the club.
Together, the two releases extend a group of films that has become more exclusive than casual moviegoers might assume. The list also includes titles such as 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which showed that big-budget franchise films could still draw large crowds in the years after the pandemic disrupted cinemas.
What the milestone means
A billion dollars in worldwide ticket sales has long been treated as the benchmark for a true global blockbuster. For years the threshold was reached by only a handful of films, usually superhero sagas, big-budget sequels or family animation. Having 65 titles on the list shows how much the global market has grown, with audiences in more territories and higher ticket prices than in earlier decades.
The success of Michael is notable because biographical dramas have traditionally earned far less than franchise tentpoles. Its performance suggests that music-driven stories with broad international appeal can compete with the biggest studio properties. For Lionsgate, a studio that has often been seen as a smaller player, the result is a landmark.
The Mario sequel’s success also points to the continued strength of video game adaptations, which were once considered risky. Having two billion-dollar films from one game franchise is a strong sign of commercial confidence for studios looking at other game properties.
Other Hollywood talk
Elsewhere in the film world, discussion continues around lists of the decade’s defining films, new projects based on popular games, and the use of artificial intelligence in production. But the box office figures are the clearest evidence of what audiences are choosing to watch in 2026.
With the year still not over, more films could yet reach the $1 billion mark and add to the list, which continues to change as new releases play out in cinemas around the world.
Source: Deadline
