JuicyTalk
2026 is already shaping up to be an explosive year at the box office, and these five films hold the record for the biggest opening weekends so far. Though some films have legs and become sleeper hits over time, many movies make most of their money in their opening weekend. Either way, a movie’s opening is a good indication of how it will perform in general.
With box offices more volatile than ever before, there has been a lot of pressure on new releases in the year 2026. Thankfully, there have been some monster hits throughout the first five months, and several more expected blockbusters are coming over the summer. Movies predicted to succeed are outperforming expectations, a sure sign that box offices are balancing out in general.
The best opening weekends of 2026 so far haven’t come with too many surprises. Though the magnitude of success is enough to raise a few eyebrows. The usual suspects are all near the top of 2026’s total box office charts, with studios like Disney and Universal holding firm. Some of these films will lose their spot as the year progresses, but a few openings likely won’t be caught any time soon.
Where these movies make their money is also fascinating to examine. 2026’s biggest blockbusters are hits both domestically and overseas, though that isn’t always the case. Some films pulled in the vast majority of their cash at home, and only scored paltry numbers abroad. These five films made a fortune in their opening weekends, but which one made the most?
5
Project Hail Mary (2026) – $141 Million
Project Hail Mary is one of 2026’s most exciting success stories thus far, and the standalone sci-fi flick cleaned up in its opening weekend. The Ryan Gosling vehicle made over $140 million worldwide, a large chunk of its reported $200 million production budget. It went on to gross more than $650 million, well over the reported break-even point of $500 million.
The movie’s opening weekend was nearly a perfect split, though Project Hail Mary did make more money at home than it did abroad. It made $80 million in the US and Canada, while pulling down the remaining $60 million in foreign markets. Naturally, that was good enough for first place, but it only held the top spot at the box office for two weeks before being passed by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Project Hail Mary is still the second-highest grossing film of 2026 so far, though it is unclear if that record will stand for the rest of the year. Regardless of how it shakes out, it has likely already secured a spot in the top 10. This is an encouraging sign that non-franchise films can find success under the right circumstances.
4
Pegasus 3 (2026) – $160 Million
Though most of the films on this list will be familiar to American moviegoers, China’s Pegasus 3 is the one exception. The comedy sports sequel had the fourth-best opening weekend of 2026 so far, drawing $160 million worldwide. The movie has made nearly $650 million at the box office, and has secured decent reviews in the process.
However, Pegasus 3 made less than 1% of its money in the United States, instead scoring almost all of its opening gate in its own backyard in China. Chinese audiences pushed the film to an $150 million opening, and the rest of the world added up to the remaining $10 million. In the United States, the film made less than $1 million in its opening weekend.
Pegasus 3 has what it takes to run with the big dogs, and the movie will likely be one of the highest-grossing flicks of 2026 when everything shakes out. Interestingly, the Chinese sports hit mirrors the success of Project Hail Mary almost identically, but does so without the mighty buying power of the American filmgoing audience.
3
Michael (2026) – $217 Million
Biopics can be massive moneymakers or disappointing flops, but the Michael Jackson biopic is anything but a financial disappointment. The film version of the life of the King of Pop dazzled viewers in its opening weekend, dancing its way to $217 million worldwide. Its $39 million opening day set the record for 2026 so far, and passed Oppenheimer as the best debut for a biopic in history.
Michael currently holds the third-best opening of 2026, and that’s due in large part to its huge domestic performance. It made $97 million domestically right off the bat, though foreign markets have caught up. At the time of writing, the movie has earned an impressive $577 million across three weekends, with more than half coming from international territories. When it’s all said and done, Michael will likely make most of its money overseas.
Though its opening can’t change, there’s no telling where the biopic will finish on the year-end box office chart. While its domestic earnings have dropped weekend after weekend, its international potential is holding or even growing. It’s very possible that Michael could surpass Pegasus 3 and Project Hail Mary in total box office earnings.
2
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) – $233 Million
The Devil Wears Prada 2 made fans wait 20 years for a sequel, so they turned up to the theater in droves when the movie opened on May 1st. Propelled by nostalgia, the long-awaited sequel jumped straight to the second place spot on this list, scoring an eye-watering $233 million on its opening weekend. With a reported budget of $100 million, the film was likely immediately profitable after its first few days in theaters.
With a stellar $76 million domestically in its opening weekend, the sequel outperformed its predecessor by leaps and bounds on the same score. However, most of its money came from international territories, with other markets providing over $150 million. Any way it’s examined, The Devil Wears Prada 2 put on an opening weekend clinic.
The sequel now holds the fifth spot on the yearly box office chart, and it got a significant bump from its sophomore weekend. The Mother’s Day holiday kept it from dropping off too much from week one to week two, and it’s unclear how successful the film will be in the long run. It has grossed over $400 million already, but that number will certainly grow before its theatrical run ends.
1
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) – $372 Million
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie holds a few box office records that probably won’t be beaten in 2026, and it’s the financial juggernaut of the first half of the year. With $372 million during its opening weekend, the video game movie sequel is the biggest launch of the year so far by over $100 million.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie actually made less than its predecessor, which scored $375 million in its opening weekend in 2023. It has also fallen short of the original film in terms of overall gross, though its $941 million (at the time of writing) is nothing to shake a stick at. The original made $1.3 billion, putting it in rare company.
With a lead of hundreds of millions of dollars, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie won’t be caught by any movies currently in theaters. However, it’s place atop the box office chart is in jeopardy from a few highly-anticipated releases coming in the next few months. Either way, the Nintendo flick proves that recognizable IPs are still the best way to make a ton of cash at the box office.
Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers
