The 10 Highest-Grossing Sci-Fi Movies Of 2026 So Far, Ranked

Published Oct 30, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture. 2026 has had some sci-fi movie hits that have furthered the genre and provided truly fascinating storylines for audiences, as can be evidenced by the year's top-grossing results. With most of 2026 having now passed, the majority of the year's sci-fi films have been unveiled, and have built the newest era for the long-established genre and its movie empire. Of course, we still have what are set to be some of 2026's biggest sci-fi movies yet to come. Avengers: Doomsday follows in a long line of major superhero hits with a more squarely sci-fi story thanks to its multiversal angling. In the same vein, Dune: Part Three is also sure to be a major sci-fi film to cap off 2026 with, and will also no doubt change up the roster of the year's highest grossing sci-fi films. There's still plenty of other fascinating sci-fi films that have already released in 2026, though, with the year's top 10 highest-grossing installments providing a wide range of examples of the different kinds of stories that can be told within the genre. 2026's current highest-grossing sci-fi movies also tell a fascinating story in terms of how even some of the year's bigger films box office wise earned less than their overall budgets have been reported to be. Hope Hope's story is one that feels fresh enough and exciting enough to mean it deserves its spot in sci-fi's biggest 2026 movies, even if it's one that's less well-known than some of the top box office earners of the year. Drawing its title in part from its setting of Hope Harbor, Hope revolves around the locals' efforts to work out what's attacking animals and people in the area, revealing a larger-than-life answer to the matter that begins a far grander overall story. Hope earned $49 million in its worldwide box office, which is by no means 2026's biggest gross, but is impressive in its own right, especially when you consider that this out-earned a range of movies that had bigger press buzz around them beforehand, such as The Dog Stars and Digger. Iron Lung Iron Lung is one of the biggest independent success stories of 2026, as the project is largely the brainchild of YouTube personality Markiplier, who adapted the original video game's story into a movie following his prior experience playing it for his YouTube channel. Iron Lung is one of the most intense sci-fi films of 2026 concept-wise, as its story sees its protagonist forcibly placed inside a sealed submarine-like machine, which is then dropped into a sea of blood that's formed on an isolated moon, in order for the galaxy's survivors to see if it contains answers to the Quiet Rapture that happened prior, wherein all habitable stars and planets seemingly disappeared. The mix of its undeniably gripping horror-infused concept and the unique concept of seeing a movie figure-headed by Markiplier appear to have played their respective roles in Iron Lung's success - especially after word of mouth helped promote the film after initial positive reviews - leading to Iron Lung's considerable overall $50 million box office result, which is a healthy gross compared to its reported $3 million budget (according to The Numbers). Mercy Adding to Chris Pratt's movie roster is that of 2026's Mercy, which revolves around Pratt's protagonist Chris Raven attempting to clear his name after he's believed to have killed his wife in a futuristic dystopia wherein accused are given 90 minutes to prove their innocence in front of an AI judge or be executed. The star power of Pratt combined with the movie's premise appealing to sci-fi fans, action fans, and fans of mysteries worked to garner Mercy a not inconsiderable $54 million gross. However, this is somewhat complicated by the fact that Mercy appears to have had a higher budget than its box office result, given its reported $60 million production costs before marketing (as per Variety), which may prevent any prospective follow-ups for the film. Masters Of The Universe Via MovieStillsDB Masters of the Universe adapts a franchise with immense nostalgia for many audiences today, with the film leaning into the 80s series' over-the-top nature in its own way, and bringing the world of He-Man and Eternia to live-action without losing the action or comedy of the original. Masters of the Universe netting over $100 million with this backdrop in mind makes sense, though the 2026 film's $113 million box office was lower than its reported budget of around $200 million (via Variety). With that said, Masters of the Universe's major streaming popularity does leave the prospect of sequels or spinoffs potentially still on the table. The End of Oak Street The End of Oak Street is able to blend a nostalgic Jurassic Park-like narrative with some plot twists that establish it's definitely a modern take on this kind of corner of the world of movies. The Platt family's discovery that their entire neighborhood has been sent back in time - and everyone on the street has been sent with it - immediately leads into a gripping and action-packed story, with plenty of dinosaur scares and tension to boot. This setup and the attachment of major names like Ewan McGregor and J.J Abrams to the project resulted in a $121 million worldwide box office taking, earning a healthy dose over Oak Street's reported $80-92 million budget (as reported by Deadline), and cementing the film as one of the year's highest-grossing sci-fi installments. Supergirl As the DCU's second movie, Supergirl leans into the sci-fi side of the comic book world in a major way, sending Superman's cousin Kara off into the far-flung reaches of space, where she ends up reluctantly helping a grieving orphaned girl who decides to avenge her family by hunting down and taking on their killer. While Supergirl is not the highest grossing superhero film of the past few years, it did earn $126 million - below its reported budget of $170-186 million (via Deadline), meaning it's also far from the lowest grossing superhero movies of all time as well, and it does appear that Clayface and the upcoming release of Man of Tomorrow may help further strengthen the DCU following this. Avengers: Endgame Encore via MovieStillsDB Avengers: Endgame was already one of the highest grossing films of all time, with the 2026 re-release of the film known as Avengers: Endgame Encore allowing the movie's overall gross to once again reach the top spot and crown it the highest grossing movie of all time. Even looking at just Avengers: Endgame Encore's standalone earnings is nothing to sniff at, with its $142 million worldwide box office demonstrating the interest people had in the major MCU movie's re-release, and the new additional scenes that were added to the movie to help set the stage for the upcoming debut of Avengers: Doomsday later this year. Disclosure Day As Steven Spielberg's 2026 return to the world of movies, Disclosure Day's box office results were in some ways guaranteed, as Disclosure Day marks the master filmmaker's first return to film since 2022's The Fabelmans. The fascinating sci-fi story of Disclosure Day also certainly doesn't hurt, as the film revolves around cybersecurity specialist Dr. Daniel Kellner discovering proof of extraterrestrial life, and teaming up with a psychic to escape from those trying to prevent this news from getting out, as the duo attempt to reveal this secret to the world, with the story having some stellar plot twists along the way. Disclosure Day subsequently earned itself a $247 million worldwide box office result, well exceeding its reported $115 million budget (via Puck), and showing that Spielberg's filmography can still provide films that engage audiences and bring in millions over 60 years after it first began. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Though Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu did not receive universal praise for its story, there's no denying the sheer power of the franchise when it comes to the world of sci-fi films, and this goes some way to explain why the Star Wars movie quickly became the year's second-highest grossing sci-fi film thus far. With the movie having an in some ways inbuilt audience as a result of the popularity of The Mandalorian itself - which also centered on the two titular movie characters - and Star Wars having not had a new movie release in theaters since 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian and Grogu's $345 million box office feels like a natural extension of the franchise's strong hold on audiences to this day, and the interest fans have in seeing how things could continue to grow and develop in the modern-day timeline. Project Hail Mary Given Project Hail Mary was one of the biggest films of 2026 altogether, it's perhaps no surprise that the film is also the year's highest-grossing sci-fi film to date, though it's likely to have fierce competition in the likes of Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three in the final few months of 2026 we have remaining. The story of science teacher Grace and Eridian rock alien Rocky coming together and becoming unlikely allies who work together to try and save their respective worlds against a mysterious, universe-threatening danger is one that was a quick hit with audiences based on the way it combined two genuinely endearing protagonists, and gave them a truly huge task to try and achieve with limited resources. Overall, this garnered Project Hail Mary a $645 million box office result, making it 2026's current crown jewel for the sci-fi genre, and the seventh highest grossing film overall of the year, showing that new sci-fi movie stories can win over the hearts and minds of audiences to this day. Sci-Fi