Disney has crossed the $4 billion mark at the worldwide box office in 2026, becoming the second Hollywood studio to reach the milestone after Universal. The achievement gives Disney another major theatrical benchmark in a year when the global box office has seen several large-scale releases drive audiences back to cinemas.
Universal reached the $4 billion mark first, setting the pace in this year’s studio box-office race. Disney has now joined it above the threshold, with its total built across a broader theatrical slate rather than being dependent on a single blockbuster.
A major contributor to Disney’s 2026 performance has been Pixar’s Toy Story 5. The sequel crossed $1 billion worldwide during its sixth weekend, becoming the third film of 2026 to reach the milestone at that point and the sixth Pixar title to do so. The film had also opened globally to more than $300 million.
Toy Story 5 has subsequently established itself as one of the year’s biggest global releases, with the film now at roughly $1.1 billion worldwide. Its performance has once again demonstrated the international theatrical strength of established Disney and Pixar properties, particularly in the family market.
Disney has also benefited from the performance of The Devil Wears Prada 2. The sequel opened to more than $230 million worldwide and has gone on to gross around $692 million globally, giving Disney a major live-action success alongside its animated and family-oriented releases.
The combination of films is significant because Disney’s 2026 run has not been built around animation alone. Toy Story 5 has supplied the studio with a major Pixar franchise hit, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 has demonstrated the continued theatrical appeal of a live-action sequel aimed at a different audience.
Disney’s current position also follows an exceptionally strong 2025. The studio finished last year with approximately $6.58 billion in worldwide box-office revenue, making it the highest-grossing Hollywood studio of 2025. Disney recorded approximately $2.49 billion in the U.S. and Canada and $4.08 billion internationally.
The 2025 studio race also provides useful context for how quickly the hierarchy can change. Disney’s $6.58 billion led Warner Bros. at $4.4 billion and Universal at $3.89 billion. Studio’s 2025 performance was driven by a slate that included Zootopia 2, Lilo & Stitch and Avatar: Fire and Ash, with the studio becoming the only major Hollywood studio to cross $6 billion that year.
The 2026 race, however, has developed differently. Universal’s strong run has allowed it to reach $4 billion first, while Disney has now followed. The milestone comes during a broader improvement in theatrical attendance, with the 2026 summer domestic box office passing $4 billion, only the second summer since the pandemic to reach that level.
The wider marketplace has also produced several major individual releases. Disney’s Toy Story 5 is among the year’s billion-dollar performers, while other studios have been represented by major hits including Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Sony/Marvel film has become one of the year’s biggest global releases, illustrating the scale of competition Disney faces across the worldwide market.
The $4 billion milestone is therefore more than a numerical achievement. It demonstrates that the studio has been able to assemble multiple theatrical draws across its portfolio and maintain momentum through different audience segments. The company’s recent results have also been reflected in its broader entertainment business, with Disney reporting strong quarterly performance supported in part by the success of Toy Story 5 and The Devil Wears Prada 2.
The year is not over yet, and Disney still has additional releases capable of adding to its worldwide total. That makes the $4 billion mark a milestone rather than an endpoint.
Disney has now joined Universal above the $4 billion worldwide threshold in 2026, but the broader studio race will continue through the remainder of the year. After finishing 2025 as Hollywood’s leading studio, Disney has once again established itself as one of the dominant forces at the global box office. The question now is how much further its 2026 total can climb before the year closes.
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