May box office up 19% as Michael, Devil Wears Prada 2, and original horror lead well-rounded month
UK and Ireland box office revenue totalled £130.4m in May, according to the latest figures from Comscore — 19% higher than the same month last year.
Year-to-date box office surpassed half a billion during the month (£505.3m) and is now running 11% ahead of the equivalent period in 2025 and 33% ahead of 2024.
May’s box office was derived from a mix of heavy hitters and overperformers. Tom Linay, head of film at Digital Cinema Media (DCM), told The Media Leader the month could have been even bigger had the May half-term holiday not fallen during unseasonably warm weather, which generally incentivised Brits away from theatres to enjoy the sun.
Still, Linay estimated May cinema admissions were likewise up around 22% compared to the year prior, which saw releases including Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
The top-grossing film of the month was Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic that debuted in April. The film, which was the second-highest grossing title last month, earned an additional £32.8m in May to take its cumulative gross to £49m. As such, Michael is now the highest-grossing film of the year so far, ahead of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (£38.1m).
Michael has already become the second-highest musical biopic of all time in the UK, behind only 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody (£55.4m), though Michael is tracking 14% ahead of the Queen biopic at this stage of its release.
In second place for May was The Devil Wears Prada 2, which grossed £32.7m. Linay described the performance as to expectation, but noted the film “still has some legs” as potential “counterprogramming” to this month’s World Cup. He added the title has been an exceptional opportunity for brands given the title’s obvious overlap with fashion and luxury categories.
Rounding out the top five films in May were Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (£12.6m), family mystery film The Sheep Detectives (£8.6m) and horror flick Obsession (£8.4m), with the late-releasing Backrooms notching an additional £6.3m in its first week.
| # | Title | Rating | Distributor | Genre | Origin | Release date | Period gross (£) | Cumulative (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael | 12 | Universal | Drama | USA | 24/04/2026 | 32,892,168 | 49,042,137 |
| 2 | The Devil Wears Prada 2 | 12 | Disney | Comedy | USA | 01/05/2026 | 32,780,394 | 32,780,394 |
| 3 | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | 12 | Disney | Action | USA | 22/05/2026 | 12,604,452 | 12,604,452 |
| 4 | The Sheep Detectives | PG | Sony | Family | UK, USA | 08/05/2026 | 8,677,307 | 8,677,307 |
| 5 | Obsession | 18 | Universal | Horror | USA | 15/05/2026 | 8,407,452 | 8,407,452 |
| 6 | Backrooms | 15 | A24 | Horror | USA | 29/05/2026 | 6,398,213 | 6,398,213 |
| 7 | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | PG | Universal | Animation | USA | 03/04/2026 | 3,425,587 | 38,125,058 |
| 8 | Mortal Kombat II | 15 | Warner | Action | USA | 08/05/2026 | 3,415,245 | 3,415,245 |
| 9 | Project Hail Mary | 12 | Sony | Action | USA | 20/03/2026 | 2,101,110 | 34,542,292 |
| 10 | Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D (Concert) | 12 | Paramount | Rock/pop concert | USA | 08/05/2026 | 2,046,406 | 2,057,682 |
Linay offered that Star Wars has performed okay for a science-fiction film, but acknowledged that “for a Star Wars film, it’s a disappointment”.
Major franchises have tended to dominate the box office in the post-pandemic years, but for Linay, this May proved that “there is definitely a space for brand new filmmakers with stories that are new to cinema”.
Both Obsession and Backrooms have received critical acclaim and strong box office performance, and both were led by twentysomething first-time directors. Linay predicted both titles will earn over £12m in the UK and Ireland, “rareified air” for original IP horror films, though both Obsession and Backrooms have benefitted from deriving from ideas first popularised on YouTube and other parts of the web.
“These are films where the audience is young,” said Linay. “This is an audience craving fresh ideas, new stuff. That’s something we’ve seen a lot this year.”
June preview: A culturally-relevant Toy Story and an original Spielberg sci-fi
The healthy mix of franchise-based films and original titles continues into June.
Two classic IPs return this weekend, with Paramount’s Scary Movie and Sony’s Masters of the Universal opening on 5 June.
Later in the month, Pixar’s Toy Story 5 continues the story of Woody and Buzz, but with renewed “cultural relevance”, as Linay previewed, with the introduction of new iPad-based character Lilypad.
Toy Story 5 is predicted to be the top title of the month; Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 are the two highest-grossing animated films of all time in the UK and Ireland, and Linay has “every reason to believe this one will be up there as well.”
Rounding out the big IPs on offer is the latest addition to James Gunn’s DC Universe, Supergirl, debuting 25 June.
For cinemagoers looking for something wholly original, Stephen Spielberg returns to theatres with a new science fiction title, Disclosure Day, on 10 June.
Is Spielberg still bankable after the underwhelming performance of West Side Story and The Fabelmans? “This is the real test,” said Linay, “in a genre he has defined more than any other filmmaker”.