Top 3 Highest-Grossing Hollywood Animated Films of 2026: Which One Has Delivered The Best Return Over Budget?

Out of the top three highest-grossing Hollywood animated films at the worldwide box office, find out which one has generated the highest return (global earnings) over its budget.

- April 30, 2026 | 11:15 AM IST

Top 3 Highest Grossing Hollywood Animated Films(Photo Credit –Facebook)

In 2025, the top two highest-grossing titles at the worldwide box office were animated films. They were Ne Zha 2, which earned a staggering $2.267 billion, and Zootopia 2, which grossed around $1.867 billion globally, according to Box Office Mojo. Even James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash ($1.486 billion) could not beat these animated juggernauts. Like last year, this year’s top-grossing title as of now is also an animated feature—The Super Mario Galaxy Movie—which has earned $834.3 million so far, according to Box Office Mojo.

That said, it remains to be seen whether the recently released musical drama Michael and upcoming films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday can overtake it to claim the top spot at the global box office. Let’s take a look at the top three highest-grossing Hollywood animated films of 2026 so far and find out which one among them delivered the best return (worldwide gross) relative to its production budget.

Top 3 Highest-Grossing Hollywood Animated Films of 2026 (Worldwide)

Here are the top three highest-grossing Hollywood animated movies released in 2026 so far, along with their current worldwide totals (according to Box Office Mojo data) and their estimated production budgets.

1. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Budget: $110 million
Worldwide Total: $834.3 million

2. Hoppers

Budget: $150 million
Worldwide Total: $370.4 million

3. GOAT

Budget: $80 million
Worldwide Total: $190.6 million

Earnings-to-Budget Performance

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: 7.59x
Hoppers: 2.47x
GOAT: 2.38x

What The Numbers Indicate

The above figures and calculations indicate that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is not only the highest-grossing animated film of 2026 so far, but the sequel has also delivered the highest return (worldwide gross) relative to its budget. On the other hand, Hoppers and GOAT have delivered a similar performance in terms of their earnings-to-budget ratios. But since Hoppers is still playing in theaters, its ratio is expected to improve in the coming weeks. The final verdict should be clear in the weeks ahead.

What Is The Super Mario Galaxy Movie All About?

The first film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, follows Italian-American plumbers Mario and Luigi, who are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom. When Luigi is captured by Bowser, Mario teams up with Princess Peach to rescue him and save the kingdom.

In the sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Mario and Luigi team up with their new ally Yoshi, joining Princess Peach and Toad on an outer space adventure where they encounter Princess Rosalina and confront Bowser’s son, Bowser Jr.