Summer 2026 box office: Super Mario Galaxy leads as Moana, Toy Story 5 and Spider-Man pack theaters

Cinemas are having a bumper summer. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie currently holds the highest weekend debut of 2026, extending the winning streak of video-game adaptations at the box office.

It is not the only title breaking records. The Mandalorian and Grogu broke Star Trek's record for the highest weekend debut, while the horror film Backrooms broke Us' record for the biggest opening weekend in its genre — a sign of how wide 2026's hits have ranged, from family fare to scares.

July's release calendar has been especially crowded. The live-action Moana remake has arrived in theaters, following the animated Moana 2, which sailed past $1 billion worldwide. Directed by Thomas Kail, the new film stars Catherine Laga'aia as Moana, with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the demigod Maui.

Moana faces stiff competition from within Disney itself, with Toy Story 5 also in cinemas, alongside the animated Minions & Monsters — a pile-up of family blockbusters vying for the same audiences during the school holidays.

The month closes with one of the year's biggest draws: Tom Holland's return as the web-slinger in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a marquee release timed to send the summer out on a high.

Horror has been one of 2026's defining stories. Breakout original hits including Backrooms, Iron Lung and Obsession have driven a genre resurgence, with Warner Bros.' Evil Dead Burn aiming to keep the momentum going.

For an industry that has spent recent years worrying about the health of the theatrical experience, a summer this stacked — and this varied — is welcome evidence that audiences will still turn out in force for the right films.

With Spider-Man closing July and a full autumn slate ahead, studios will be hoping the momentum carries through the rest of the year.