The milestone was achieved following the impressive debut of Toy Story 5, which delivered one of the biggest openings in Pixar's history and further strengthened Disney's position as the world's leading film studio.
Toy Story 5 powers Disney to milestone
Pixar's Toy Story 5, directed by Andrew Stanton, opened to $312 million worldwide, making it the second-biggest global opening weekend ever for a Pixar animated film.
The latest instalment in the beloved franchise has continued its strong box office run, with worldwide earnings already climbing beyond $367 million, providing a major boost to Disney's 2026 theatrical performance.
The success of the film underscores the enduring popularity of the Toy Story franchise, which has remained one of Pixar's most commercially successful properties for nearly three decades.
Diverse slate fuels strong box office performance
Disney's record-breaking year has been driven by a broad portfolio of successful releases across its various production labels.
Among the strongest performers is 20th Century Studios' The Devil Wears Prada 2, which has generated $677.6 million globally, pushing the fashion-comedy franchise beyond the $1 billion lifetime box office mark.
Other notable contributors include Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, which earned more than $323 million worldwide, Pixar's Hoppers, with approximately $372 million, and 20th Century Studios' Send Help, which has grossed $94 million globally.
Disney has also continued to benefit from the sustained theatrical momentum of its late-2025 releases, including Avatar: Fire and Ash and Zootopia 2, both of which have continued adding to the studio's worldwide earnings this year.
Significantly, every Disney theatrical release in 2026 has debuted at No. 1 at the box office.
The achievement reinforces Disney's remarkable consistency, having finished as the world's highest-grossing film studio in nine of the past 10 years.
Busy release calendar still ahead
Despite already crossing the $3 billion threshold, Disney's theatrical calendar remains packed with several high-profile releases scheduled for the second half of the year.
The studio is set to release the live-action adaptation of Moana on July 10, followed by 20th Century Studios' The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott, on August 28.
Also lined up are Walt Disney Animation Studios' Hexed on November 25 and one of the year's most anticipated superhero films, Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday, which is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on December 18.
Industry analysts expect these releases to further strengthen Disney's box office performance before the end of the year.
New premium cinema initiative unveiled
Meanwhile, during the CineEurope exhibition on Wednesday, Disney announced the rollout of Infinity Vision, a new premium certification programme for exhibitors' premium large-format (PLF) cinema screens.
The initiative will debut alongside the theatrical re-release of Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame Encore on September 25, ahead of the release of Avengers: Doomsday.
According to Disney, the Infinity Vision version of Avengers: Endgame Encore will feature a custom introduction, previously unseen footage and a special end tag, available exclusively in Infinity Vision and IMAX screenings.
The programme forms part of Disney's broader strategy to enhance the premium cinema experience and encourage audiences to return to theatres for major blockbuster events.
With a strong pipeline of releases still to come and its latest films continuing to perform strongly worldwide, Disney appears well positioned to extend its lead at the global box office and maintain its status as Hollywood's dominant studio in 2026.