Ever since Illumination released its first feature film in 2010, the animation studio has been one of the most reliable box office bets. Despicable Me is its flagship property, but Illumination’s lineup consists of much more than just the Minions. Over the years, the studio has produced other hit franchises (Sing, The Secret Life of Pets) and found success with Dr. Seuss adaptations (The Grinch). They’ve also tried their hand at video game adaptations; Illumination’s highest-grossing film to date is The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which broke records and received a sequel. This spring’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was another massive hit, and it just became the first 2026 release to hit an impressive milestone.
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According to Deadline, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has now crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. It’s the fourth movie in Illumination’s history to earn that much, joining The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Minions, and Despicable Me 3. As of this writing, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the highest-grossing film of 2026 at both the domestic and global box offices.
What Other 2026 Releases Could Hit $1 Billion?
While The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was a box office smash from the jump, it’s arguably a little surprising to see it hit the $1 billion milestone now. The sequel hit the home media market in mid-May, debuting on PVOD platforms like Apple and Amazon. On its Digital release date (May 19th), The Super Mario Galaxy Movie stood at around $966.5 million globally. Conventional wisdom would have suggested that with the movie available to watch at home, theatrical tickets sales would have declined, but it was still able to earn a decent amount of money at the multiplex over these past couple of weeks.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie stands alone in 2026’s $1 billion club, but it could have some company in the not-too-distant future. There are multiple films releasing this summer that have a realistic shot at grossing that much. Releasing in a couple of weeks is Toy Story 5, the latest installment of a franchise that has already produced two $1 billion hits before. In July, Illumination will be at it again with Minions & Monsters. It will be interesting to see how Toy Story 5 and Minions stack up against each other. Both will be targeting families, but there’s enough separation between them that they shouldn’t cannibalize each other. By the time Toy Story 5 has done a sizable chunk of business, it’ll be time for the Minions to take over Fourth of July weekend.
In terms of live-action films, Marvel could get back on track after an underwhelming 2025. Spider-Man: Brand New Day caps off July, and odds are that’ll be the biggest film of the summer. The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t as much of a draw as it was during its 2010s heyday, but Spider-Man could be immune to any changing box office trends. He’s Marvel’s most popular superhero, and any film starring him is going to be a huge blockbuster. There’s also Avengers: Doomsday, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest cinematic events of the always-busy holiday season. The previous four Avengers movies all made more than $1 billion, so that’s the benchmark for Doomsday.
If any of these movies reach $1 billion, it’ll be interesting to see if any of them top The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on the annual chart. Galaxy is likely to be on the lower end as far as $1 billion earners go, so there could be a pathway for something like Toy Story 5 or Brand New Day to soar past it. Regardless, Illumination and Universe are more than pleased with these results. With just two movies under its belt, their Mario franchise has grossed over $2 billion, paving the way for many more installments to come.
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