Antoine Fuqua’s Michael continues its strong box office run, crossing an estimated $115.9 million domestically as of Tuesday, according to industry tracking data from The Numbers. The Lionsgate release has maintained solid weekday momentum following its blockbuster opening weekend.
The film added approximately $11.1 million on Tuesday, following a $7.7 million Monday, marking one of the stronger weekday holds for a live-action release in April. Its five-day domestic total now places it firmly among the top-tier performers in the music biopic space.
A Record-Setting Opening
Michael debuted to $97.2 million domestically and $217 million globally, marking the biggest biopic opening ever at the box office. That milestone includes both traditional biographical films and music biopics, surpassing previous genre benchmarks like Bohemian Rhapsody and Oppenheimer.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the film stars Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, alongside Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Larenz Tate, Liv Symone, Mike Myers, and many more. It traces Jackson’s rise from the Jackson 5 to global superstardom, blending performance-driven storytelling with key moments from his early solo career.
Despite mixed-to-negative critical reception, audiences have responded more strongly, awarding the film an A− CinemaScore, signaling solid word-of-mouth support.
Milestones So Far
- Biggest biopic opening weekend ever — $97.2M domestic, $217M global, surpassing Oppenheimer ($82.4M) and every prior music biopic.
- Biggest music biopic opening ever — more than 60% ahead of Straight Outta Compton‘s previous music biopic record of $60.2M.
- Biggest Monday ever for a musical biopic — $7.67M on Monday, April 28, crossing the $100M domestic milestone in just four days.
- Biggest Monday for any live-action film in 2026 to date — surpassing Project Hail Mary‘s $7M Monday.
- 4th-best April Tuesday ever for live-action — $11.1M on Tuesday, behind only Avengers: Endgame, Furious 7, and A Minecraft Movie.
- 5th musical biopic to cross $100M domestically — joining Bohemian Rhapsody, Straight Outta Compton, Elvis, and Walk the Line.
- 6th highest-grossing music biopic domestically — at $115.9M, just $850K behind 8 Mile ($116.75M), with Walk the Line ($119.5M) also within reach as the run continues.
- Lionsgate’s strongest opening in over a decade — the studio’s biggest debut in the post-Covid era.
- Antoine Fuqua’s third film to cross $100M domestic — confirming his status as one of Hollywood’s most reliable commercial directors.
- 2nd-biggest opening weekend of 2026 — behind only The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
What Comes Next
Industry projections suggest a second weekend range of $45M–$50M, depending on competition from upcoming releases. A hold in that range would position the film to challenge Lionsgate’s biggest post-Covid titles, including John Wick: Chapter 4.
Globally, Michael currently sits at $237.6 million, with profitability now well within reach based on its reported production budget range of $155M–$200M.
As for future installments, conversations around expansion were previously noted in early discussions surrounding the project’s potential if it performed strongly at the box office. Whether that remains the case will likely depend on the film’s longer theatrical run and final global performance.
Sources
Box office estimates are compiled from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo, as reported through industry tracking outlets. All figures are considered estimates and may be revised as studio reporting finalizes.