Photo Credit: Lionsgate
Michael beats the odds, becoming the first biopic in history to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales at the global box office: $629.8 million overseas and $371.8 million domestically, according to stats confirmed over the weekend.
Despite critics shrugging off Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic as little more than a fluff piece about the iconic performer in the early part of his career, Michael has beaten the odds. The Antoine Fuqua-directed film has surpassed $1 billion in global ticket sales, becoming the first biopic to achieve such a milestone.
In fact, it may have been Michael’s pivot to crowd-pleaser status in the eleventh hour of its production that aided in its success. That decision was made due to a past legal agreement between the Jackson Estate and the individual who first accused the singer of sexual abuse.
Without the controversies that plagued Jackson’s later career, the film is pretty family-friendly. Naturally, folks feeling nostalgic for Michael Jackson’s music took their kids to see it.
Since its debut in April, the biopic has been breaking records left and right. Michael opened to $97 million domestically, surpassing the benchmark for musical biopic opening weekends previously set by 2015’s Straight Outta Compton at $60 million. It soon eclipsed 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest-grossing musical biopic with $911 million worldwide, and 2023’s Oppenheimer as the biggest film based on a real person with $975 million.
“Audiences have embraced the film from the beginning, turning it into a unique cultural phenomenon in theaters around the world,” said Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair. “Their passion speaks to the enduring appeal of one of the greatest recording artists of all time, and it underscores the continued strength and vitality of the theatrical moviegoing experience.”
Needless to say, it’s also Lionsgate’s biggest film, as well as the studio’s first to reach $1 billion. Its prior highest-grossing releases included 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($865 million) and 2012’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 2 ($850 million). Lionsgate produced Michael and handled its North American release, while Universal Pictures distributed the movie in most regions internationally.
“Reaching this extraordinary $1 billion milestone with Michael is a deeply humbling moment that celebrates the tireless dedication of our incredible producers, cast, crew, and partners,” said director Antoine Fuqua.
“This achievement belongs to everyone who came together with a shared vision to honor one of the greatest artists the world has ever known. I am profoundly grateful to the audiences around the globe who embraced this film, showed up in theaters, and connected with this story across generations and cultures. This historic milestone is a testament to the enduring power of cinema to bring us together, and it is a chapter in movie history I will never forget.”
Michael follows the artist from his beginnings performing with his brothers as the Jackson 5 to his status as the King of Pop in the late 1980s. The singer’s real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, makes his acting debut playing Jackson, alongside Colman Domingo and Nia Long as his parents, Joe and Katherine. A sequel is reportedly on the way, though it will not be directed by Fuqua, who is currently working on a biopic for Netflix about the Carthaginian general Hannibal.
In 2026, only one other film, Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($1.008 billion), has crossed the billion-dollar threshold so far. The animated film based on the beloved Nintendo video game franchise is expected to be joined by another animated movie, Toy Story 5, which has earned over $879 million thus far.
