The 2026 Hollywood Studio Rankings: From Apple's Empty Box Office To Universal's $4 Billion Year

Hollywood's studios and streamers head into the back half of 2026 with wildly different stories to tell, from a trillion-dollar tech company with zero box office presence to a legacy studio crossing $4 billion worldwide for the first time. Here's how all seventeen stack up,

ranked from the bottom to the top of the pack.

The Full Rankings, 17 to 1

17. Apple Original Films

Apple is worth $4.4 trillion, yet it has zero box office on any 2026 chart, not a single title. Its film division falls under Eddy Cue, and is run day-to-day by Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht. Tim Cook is set to hand the company over to John Ternus on 1 September.

16. Mubi

Mubi is now valued at $1 billion following a $100m funding round led by Sequoia. 'Father, Mother, Sister, Brother' brought in $6.3m worldwide, the bulk of it from outside the US. Mubi remains one of the few streamers its size that still releases films theatrically.

15. IFC Films

IFC put out four releases in 2026, and none crossed $2.7m: 'Motor City', 'Faces of Death', 'Forbidden Fruits' and 'Over Your Dead Body'. Shudder skipped theatrical release entirely despite a reported domestic gross. IFC's territory remains the arthouse rather than the multiplex.

14. Searchlight

It was a rough year for Disney's specialty label. 'Ready or Not 2' brought in $42.9m worldwide, while 'Super Troopers 3' opened to just $4.0m, well below the $15.1m the 2018 sequel managed. Searchlight's numbers are folded into Disney's total, where the parent company ranks second overall.

13. Bleecker Street

'Hadestown: The Musical' crossed $20m on 9 August, a rare milestone for a filmed stage production. 'Stray Kids: The DominATE Experience' added another $23.5m worldwide. Bleecker Street is making the case that event cinema can work without a major studio backing it.

12. Neon

Neon pulled in $53m across six releases in 2026, led by 'Hokum' at $23.7m worldwide. Department M acquired a significant stake in the company in July, on undisclosed terms, with Tom Quinn remaining chief executive. Neon continues to win festivals despite being outspent by nearly everyone in the room.

11. Angel Studios

Angel Studios has been public on the New York Stock Exchange since September 2025. Revenue climbed to $321.6m in 2025, a 233% jump, though the company also posted a $170.5m net loss and going-concern language in its annual report. 'Young Washington' brought in $46.9m, almost entirely from domestic audiences.

10. Focus Features

'Obsession' earned $488m worldwide off a $17.2m opening weekend and a reported budget of roughly $750,000, a 9.6x multiplier, the best of any 2026 release and the biggest film in Focus Features' history. The label sits inside Universal, which tops this list at number one.

9. Netflix

Netflix posted $45.2bn in revenue, with no 2026 theatrical gross appearing on any chart. The company bid $82.7bn for Warner Bros in December, was outbid, and withdrew in February, picking up Radford Studio Center instead. Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters continue to run the company.

8. A24

A24 brought in $298m domestically, the best year in its history. 'Backrooms' earned $393m worldwide on a $10m budget, becoming the studio's first film to pass $100m domestic. Google took a $75m stake in the company in June, and A24 ended up outgrossing Warner Bros on 2026 releases.

7. Paramount Skydance

Paramount Skydance earned $308m domestically across seven releases. 'Scream 7' took in $213.8m worldwide, and 'Scary Movie 6' added $231.3m. Its proposed deal for Warner Bros remains blocked in court, with an antitrust trial scheduled for 2 March 2027. David Ellison serves as chairman and chief executive.

6. Warner Bros

Warner Bros made $310m domestically, with nothing crossing $250m worldwide. 'Supergirl' earned $126.3m against a $170m budget. The entire company is currently being sold to Paramount, a deal twelve state attorneys general are suing to block. David Zaslav remains in charge.

5. Lionsgate

'Michael' made $1.016bn worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing musician biopic ever and the biggest film Lionsgate has ever released. The studio's Motion Picture revenue more than doubled last quarter, and Lionsgate itself is now considered a takeover target.

4. Amazon MGM

Amazon MGM earned $552m domestically, ahead of both Warner Bros and Paramount. 'Project Hail Mary' brought in $683.9m worldwide, the studio's biggest release ever, surpassing 'The Martian'. Amazon doesn't break out a studio revenue line at all, which keeps the film business largely invisible in its filings.

3. Sony

Sony earned $820m domestically, almost entirely from a single film. 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' opened to $360m, the biggest domestic opening in history, surpassing 'Avengers: Endgame', and now stands at $1.665bn worldwide. Sony Pictures posted roughly $9.95bn in revenue last fiscal year.

2. Disney

Disney brought in $1.25bn domestically. 'Toy Story 5' passed $1.093bn worldwide, making it the biggest 'Toy Story' film ever, while 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' added $691.9m. Josh D'Amaro replaced Bob Iger as chief executive in March, and Marvel has yet to release a single film theatrically this year.

1. Universal

Universal earned $1.54bn domestically, becoming the first studio to cross $4bn worldwide in 2026. 'The Odyssey' stands at $1.104bn and 'Super Mario Galaxy' at $1.012bn. Donna Langley runs the studio, while parent company Comcast is spinning NBCUniversal off as its own publicly traded company.

What The List Says About 2026

The gap between the top and bottom of this list says as much about the industry's shape in 2026 as any single number. Universal, Disney and Sony are pulling away on scale, mid-size labels like A24, Neon and Bleecker Street are proving there's still room to win without studio-level spending, and the biggest name on the list, Apple, has yet to show up on a single chart.