2026’s Biggest Box Office Competition Repeats 2025 All Over Again

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Looking ahead to 2026, the competition for top-grossing films is shaping up similarly to 2025, with comparable successes and failures. While many movies find success without reaching the very highest levels of their first year, it’s always fascinating to see which films do break through, and this often provides valuable insight into the broader film industry.

2026 is off to an interesting start for films, with movies like Iron Lung and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple getting things going. However, the current box office landscape is already showing a familiar pattern from 2025, suggesting a particular type of movie is poised to be popular.

2026’s Current Biggest Box Office Competition Mirrors 2025’s Own

In 2026, the two biggest potential blockbusters are shaping up to be very different films. One is a new adaptation of the classic novel Wuthering Heights. The other is Goat, an animated action movie about a goat who becomes a basketball star in a world where smaller animals aren’t taken seriously in sports.

These two films are quite different, so it’s not surprising they appealed to different viewers. That’s what makes their success at the box office so remarkable – they’re currently the top two highest-grossing films worldwide. It’s even more interesting considering how closely they’ve been competing for audiences within the United States.

Interestingly, the second-highest-grossing movie of 2026 was an animated action film featuring animals with human characteristics, which is very similar to 2025. Last year, Zootopia 2 earned $1.8 billion worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year.

Why 2025 & 2026’s Box Office Results Already Look Similar

© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Currently, the projected results for 2025 and 2026 look similar because of the expected performance of Zootopia 2 and Goat. This makes sense considering the two movies share a similar style and explore related themes.

Given the positive reception of Zootopia 2 in late 2025, it’s not surprising that another film with a similar theme has also performed well, as Zootopia 2’s success was still recent in people’s minds.

The success of both Zootopia 2 and Goat shows how popular animated action movies can be when they focus on compelling characters and appeal to families. These films, with their visually stunning and incredibly detailed animation, demonstrate the potential for broad audience engagement and strong box office results.

Usually, a live-action film would be leading box office numbers right now, but in 2026, that spot is held by an animated movie. Interestingly, 2026 is already showing similarities to 2025, with films like Goat and Zootopia 2 performing well in both years. This makes the rest of 2026 particularly interesting, as we’ll see if this pattern continues and if 2026’s total box office will end up resembling 2025’s.

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2026-02-25 16:13