The latest biopic on Michael Jackson, titled Michael, has set a new box office record for biopics worldwide, earning $217.4 million in its first weekend globally and becoming the largest biopic debut in movie history, beating Chris Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer.
Domestic box offices contributed about $97 million, while international box offices contributed another $120.4 million, further cementing Michael Jackson’s legacy worldwide. The movie is believed to have been produced at a cost of $200 million.
Domestic openings earned the movie a hefty $40 million on its first day, well above what experts were anticipating.
While Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle, was not expected to follow the usual path of typical biographical movies, whose box offices rarely increase, this movie seems to be working very differently.
Notwithstanding the relatively low critics’ score of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience gave it a massive 97%. This high number is reportedly due to the legacy of Jackson’s music, which has a huge fan base around the globe, and due to his enormous music catalog. According to some experts, it could earn up to $1 billion globally if it continues this way.
However, Michael did more than just earn a good box office. It boosted Michael Jackson’s music back into popularity. As a result, seven songs made it to Spotify’s Global Top 200. “Billie Jean” took ninth spot with 3.58 million listeners, marking the first time his 1983 hit made the global Top 10.
“Beat It,” with 2.71 million streams, ranked 28th. “Smooth Criminal,” “They Don’t Care About Us,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Rock With You,” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” also made it to the chart.
Michael is surely one of the best box office performers of 2026 so far.
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