The Jaafar Jackson-starring film overtakes Bohemian Rhapsody’s record as it debuts in Japan and sets its sights on history
Eight weekends in and the Michael Jackson biopic Michael is still making history. The film has officially become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, surpassing the $911 million worldwide lifetime gross of Bohemian Rhapsody with its recent reach of $911.9 million globally. With its Japan debut on June 12, the film now has a real shot at becoming the first music biopic ever to cross $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Logan, the film traces Michael Jackson’s life from his early days as the lead of The Jackson 5 through his rise to becoming the biggest entertainer in the world, capturing both the performances that defined his legacy and the life he lived away from the stage. Jaafar Jackson stars in the titular role alongside Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Larenz Tate, Juliano Valdi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Liv Symone, and Mike Myers. The film is produced by Graham King, John Branca, and John McClain.
A sequel is currently in development.
Records set by Michael:
- Highest-grossing music biopic of all time worldwide
- Highest-grossing music biopic domestically
- Highest-grossing biopic domestically
- Largest global opening weekend ever for a music biopic
- Largest domestic opening weekend ever for a music biopic at $97.2 million
- Lionsgate’s highest-grossing theatrical release ever
- Second-highest-grossing film of 2026 worldwide behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
- Second-highest-grossing biopic of all time worldwide behind Oppenheimer
- Highest-grossing opening ever for a music biopic in 65 international markets
- Surpassed the lifetime gross of Bohemian Rhapsody in 40 international markets including Brazil, France, and Mexico
- Most successful biopic ever in France, surpassing La Vie en Rose
- Highest-grossing Universal film of all time in Brazil
- Antoine Fuqua’s highest-grossing film ever
The path to this moment was not a straight line. Lionsgate was forced into $50 million in reshoots after the Jackson estate identified a problem with John Logan’s screenplay involving one of Jackson’s accusers, who was never meant to appear in the film. It was a costly and complicated detour that ultimately did not slow the film down. Audiences showed up with an A- CinemaScore despite mixed critical reception, and the word of mouth has been strong enough to keep the film in theaters deep into its run.
Michael is now available on Premium Digital and Premium Video on Demand, with a physical media release on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD arriving July 14.