May 2026 North America Box Office: First Post-COVID May To Top $1 Billion & 4th Highest-Grossing May Ever – Here Is The Biggest Contributor

May 2026 has become the first May post-COVID to gross over $1 billion at the domestic box office. Here is the film that contributed the most.

- June 2, 2026 | 3:53 PM IST

May 2026 North America Box Office(Photo Credit –Facebook)

In 2026, twelve films crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office so far. The top three highest-grossing titles are The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($427.1 million), Project Hail Mary ($342.3 million), and Michael ($340.1 million), according to Box Office Mojo’s yearly chart. Thanks to the impressive domestic numbers generated by these three films and other recent releases, the month of May this year delivered a stellar box office performance.

First Post-COVID May to Cross $1 Billion Domestic Gross

May 2026 now holds the distinction of being the first May in the post-COVID period to gross over $1 billion in North America. Moreover, May 2026 has also become the fourth-biggest May of all time at the domestic box office. With a cumulative domestic total of $1.063 billion, according to Box Office Mojo, May 2026 is only behind the domestic grosses of May 2013 ($1.143 billion), May 2019 ($1.078 billion), and May 2015 ($1.077 billion).

May 2026 Biggest Contributor

Although several films contributed to the significant earnings generated during May 2026, Antoine Fuqua’s blockbuster musical drama Michael was the top contributor, with $210.3 million in domestic earnings during the month. Other films that contributed prominently to May 2026’s $1.063 billion gross include The Devil Wears Prada 2, Star Wars: The Mandalorian, and Grogu.

And a special mention goes to two horror juggernauts, Obsession and Backrooms, which are setting the box office on fire. After opening to $17.2 million on May 15, Curry Barker’s Obsession has raked in $150.5 million so far in North America. On the other hand, Kane Parsons’ Backrooms defied all projections and opened to a stellar $81.4 million on May 29, and has already grossed $117.9 million domestically.

Can June 2026 Outgross May 2026?

In addition to the above-mentioned films still playing in U.S. theaters, June 2026 is expected to deliver substantial domestic box-office earnings. Here’s the list of some major films that will be released in theaters in June 2026, along with their release dates.

Masters of the Universe: June 5
Scary Movie 6: June 5
Disclosure Day: June 12
Toy Story 5: June 19
The Death of Robin Hood: June 19
Supergirl: June 26

With a host of eagerly anticipated films lined up for theatrical release in June 2026, the current month has the potential to challenge the cumulative domestic gross of May 2026. If films like Backrooms, Obsession, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Michael continue to demonstrate strong legs, and the above-mentioned upcoming films attract moviegoers to theaters in big numbers, then surpassing May 2026’s $1.063 billion domestic gross appears to be a realistic possibility. However, the final verdict will be clear only after the month ends.