It's already been a huge year at the movies, with the surprise success of Obsession, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie topping $1bn, and The Odyssey now in theaters. And with huge releases like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday still to come, a new report suggests that the box office could top $10bn for the first time since the pre-pandemic high of 2019.
According to the number crunchers at Rentrak (h/t Variety), ticket sales aren't just up 10% on 2025 at this stage, they're on par with 2019 – a banner year for theatrical releases, which had nine billion-dollar releases, including Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Frozen 2 and Joker. 2026 is unlikely to have quite that many sky-high performers (only Mario Galaxy and Michael have passed the $1bn threshold so far), but half a dozen isn't out of the question with Toy Story 5, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday all in with a shot.
Most promising is the fact that it isn't just superhero cinema propping up the theatrical business any longer. This year's sole superhero movie so far, Supergirl, flopped hard late last month, making less than Morbius in its opening weekend, and is currently sitting on less than $120 million worldwide. The Mandalorian and Grogu also underperformed at the box office, pulling in just $340 million, making it the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars movie to date.
In contrast, comedy lega-sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 is at over $688 million, while Ryan Gosling sci-fi Project Hail Mary topped out at $683 million. The story of the summer, however, is Obsession. Curry Barker's word-of-mouth smash was made for less than a million bucks and has gone on to make $428 million, even outgrossing fellow horror sensation Backrooms ($374 million). The lesson seems to be that audiences want something fresh, whether it's new spins on franchise fare or wholly original properties.
The Odyssey is the latest box office hopeful to hit screens. And it's off to a good start – not only is it the highest-rated film of Christopher Nolan's career on Rotten Tomatoes, it also got a full 5* in our The Odyssey review (the only review that matters, of course). If you've already seen the film, we've got a whole host of analysis waiting for you, including The Odyssey ending explained and a full breakdown of The Odyssey changes from Homer's epic poem.
The latest box office hopeful, The Odyssey, is in theaters now. Before you head to the multiplex, check out our Odyssey beginner's guide, and then see if you agree with our updated list of the Best Christopher Nolan movies.
