‘Toy Story 5’ Dethrones ‘Michael’ as 2026’s Highest-Grossing Movie With Massive Billion-Dollar Milestone

Pixar has had plenty of billion-dollar moments over the years, but few have felt as high stakes as this summer’s box office race. With Woody and Buzz Lightyear once again anchoring the fifth entry in the beloved ‘Toy Story’ franchise, the film has spent weeks climbing steadily rather than relying on a single flashy weekend. That kind of consistency has now paid off in a very big way.

‘Toy Story 5‘ has officially crossed the one billion dollar mark at the global box office and now ranks as the highest-grossing movie of the year. The film added 24.7 million dollars in its sixth weekend overseas, a modest 17.7 percent drop that industry watchers are crediting to a strong debut in Germany. That performance helped push the international cume to 573.5 million dollars across 52 markets, with the film’s total global haul reaching 1.02 billion dollars.

The domestic side of the ledger has been just as strong, with ‘Toy Story 5’ pulling in 448.5 million dollars in the United States, according to the same figures. That is a remarkable return on a reported 275 million dollar production budget, not including marketing costs. That makes it the third movie to cross the billion dollar mark this calendar year, following ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ and the Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael.’

Speaking of ‘Michael,’ the Antoine Fuqua directed film had been sitting comfortably atop the 2026 box office charts for weeks. The biopic climbed to 1.025 billion dollars worldwide, edging past ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ at 1.015 billion dollars, making it the year’s top earner before ‘Toy Story 5’ came along and rewrote the standings. The milestone also marked the first time Lionsgate had ever crossed a billion dollars with any release, a significant achievement for the studio.

Now that ‘Toy Story 5’ has overtaken ‘Michael,’ the sequel is showing no signs of slowing down. Projections shared alongside the box office update suggest the film could ultimately land somewhere between 1.1 and 1.2 billion dollars globally before its theatrical run wraps up. It is now the sixth Pixar film to cross the billion dollar mark, joining a list that includes ‘Finding Dory,’ ‘Incredibles 2’ and ‘Inside Out 2.’

The film’s box office momentum is especially notable given the plot’s central tension, which finds the toys competing for Bonnie’s attention against a new screen-based rival. The story leans into Jessie’s arc as the gang faces a frog shaped electronic tablet named Lilypad for the child’s affection, a theme that seems to be resonating widely with audiences of all ages. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack and Greta Lee all return to voice the franchise’s familiar faces, with Andrew Stanton directing.

With ‘Toy Story 5’ now sitting at the top of the yearly rankings and still adding to its total every weekend, the race for 2026’s box office crown is far from finished. Do you think Woody and the gang can hold off any late challengers and cruise past the 1.1 billion mark, or is ‘Michael’ poised for one more comeback before the year is out?