Movie theaters are making a large comeback with many new and big releases, breaking post-COVID-19 box office records.
Consumers across the country have flocked to see new releases including: “Project Hail Mary,” “Michael,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Super Mario Galaxy” and more. Many people across social media have started to claim this year as a “golden year” for film and theaters alike.
According to Box Office Mojo, the year-to-date domestic box office as of May 26, 2026, is $3.4 billion. This number is $382 million, or 12.6% greater than 2025 and a staggering 39% greater than 2022.
Brigham Young University mechanical engineering student and movie lover, Emelia Stout, enjoys the opportunity to expand her mind and worldviews while watching new movies. Her personal favorite release of the year has been “The Drama.”
“I liked it because it made you think about what other people are thinking about,” Stout said. “The whole premise was, can you forgive people for their past actions or their past thoughts?”
The global box office estimate for 2026 is around $35 billion, according to Gower Street, which would be 5% more than 2025, a second consecutive year of global box office growth. Although not back to pre-pandemic sales, this year is shaping up to be the highest number since 2019.
While there are still many sequels coming out, audiences have enjoyed seeing new stories and characters brought to the big screen, such as Doctor Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, and Michael Jackson, played by Jaafar Jackson.
Thus far in the year, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is the highest-grossing film internationally with more than $983 million in sales. “Michael” is currently in second at $795 million, and “Project Hail Mary” follows at $675 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Ryan Baldwin, a BYU information systems student and film hobbyist, enjoys both classic films and new releases with his movie rewards membership. He says that this year of movies does not feel much different to him than those in the past.
“I wouldn’t say it’s super different, because I think last year was a pretty good year for movies with a couple of crowd-pleasers,” Baldwin stated. “There was ‘Superman,’ ‘Minecraft’ and ‘F1,’ and there were also some award winners like ‘Sinners’ and ‘One Battle After Another,’ and I think that there are going to be both of those this year.”
Something that remained similar to previous years is the number of sequels expected, including: “Toy Story 5,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” “Dune: Part Three” and “Avengers: Doomsday.” The fan-favorite franchises have already proven their popularity with fans.
Unlike Baldwin, Stout believes that this year does feel different. She said that this year in movies has felt more prominent than previous years, with the number of new films and anticipated sequels.
“It definitely feels different because there are a lot of big releases coming out that have been hyped up,” Stout said. “In the past, there really hasn’t been anything new coming out; it just feels like, ‘Oh, there’s another sequel to something.’ And granted, most of these are sequels, but they are very popular series, and it’s something that the people actually want.”
Aside from popular movies, theaters are also bringing guests to their doors by offering new experiences not available from home. These accommodations include luxury recliners, IMAX screens and deluxe concessions.
Baldwin also acknowledged that it may be more than just the movies bringing people to the theaters.
“I read somewhere recently that back in the day it used to be the actors who really drew the audience in for a movie, and nowadays it has shifted towards people being excited for a director's work,” Baldwin commented. “Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan both have movies coming out this summer, which are two huge names, so I think that people are excited for that.”
The speed at which movies are coming out is not expected to slow down anytime soon, with some of the biggest releases ahead. While it is debated whether this is a “golden year” for film, the year proved already to break post-pandemic records.