Seventeen years after his death, Michael Jackson is making history once again. Michael, the biographical drama about the King of Pop starring his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson, has officially become the highest-grossing biographical film of all time. With $977 million earned worldwide, the film has surpassed Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which held the record for the past three years with approximately $975 million, making Michael the biggest biopic in cinema history. And its theatrical run may not be over yet.
Oppenheimer set a remarkably high benchmark for the genre. Despite its nearly three-hour runtime and R rating, Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning drama earned approximately $975 million worldwide and remained the highest-grossing biopic for three years. Michael has now overtaken that milestone, adding another historic achievement after previously becoming the highest-grossing music biopic by surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody, which earned $911 million globally in 2018.
The film has collected $370.2 million in North America and $607.2 million from international markets. It has performed strongly across major overseas territories including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, while recently expanding into Japan, where it continues to add to its worldwide total. With several international markets still contributing, trade observers believe Michael has a realistic chance of becoming the first biographical film to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
Released on April 24, Michael got off to a record-breaking start, opening to $97 million domestically and $217 million worldwide during its debut weekend. The film established a new opening-weekend record for both a music biopic and a biographical film, surpassing the previous benchmark set by Straight Outta Compton, which had held the music biopic opening record with a $60 million domestic debut since 2015.
From there, the film continued to build momentum. It remained among the top-performing titles at the domestic box office for several weeks before becoming available on premium video-on-demand, allowing it to sustain a remarkable theatrical run while steadily climbing past multiple box office milestones.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael chronicles Michael Jackson’s life from his early days performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 to his rise as one of the world’s most influential entertainers. Jaafar Jackson portrays his uncle in his feature acting debut, while Colman Domingo plays the Jackson family’s demanding patriarch Joe Jackson and Nia Long portrays Katherine Jackson.
The film has not been without controversy. Some critics argued that Michael largely omits the child sexual abuse allegations that surrounded Jackson during his later years, resulting in what they viewed as a predominantly celebratory portrayal of his life. Others have maintained that the film focuses primarily on Jackson’s artistic journey, musical achievements and cultural legacy rather than revisiting controversies that have long divided public opinion.
Beyond becoming the highest-grossing biopic of all time, Michael has also become the biggest release in Lionsgate’s history, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which earned $865 million worldwide in 2013. The milestone represents another major achievement for the studio and further underscores the film’s exceptional commercial performance.
Music biopics have been a realistic format in Hollywood for years. Films like Elvis, Straight Outta Compton, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Complete Unknown all delivered impressive theatrical performances,nbut none of them came close to what Michael has done. The global fanbase for Michael Jackson, even 17 years after his passing, is simply unlike anything else. He broke records when he was alive. Now his story is doing it all over again.
As its theatrical run continues, Michael has already secured its place in cinema history. Whether it ultimately becomes the first biographical film to surpass $1 billion worldwide remains to be seen, but its record-breaking box office performance has once again demonstrated the enduring global appeal of Michael Jackson’s life, music and legacy.
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