The King of Pop has conquered yet another stage — this time, the global box office. Two months after its April 2026 release, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael has officially become the highest-grossing biographical film in cinema history, surpassing Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer with a staggering worldwide haul of $977 million.
For a genre long considered a commercial gamble, the numbers are nothing short of insane. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and distributed by Lionsgate in the US and Universal Pictures internationally, the film charts Jackson’s early life — from his days as the pint-sized lead of the Jackson 5 to the Bad World Tour (1987-89). At the centre of it all is Jaafar Jackson, the pop icon’s real-life nephew, making his acting debut in the title role.
A record-breaking opening that set the tone
From the moment Michael hit screens, it was clear this was no ordinary biopic. As per Variety, the film opened to $97 million domestically and $218.8 million globally in its debut weekend — the biggest opening weekend in the history of the music biopic genre, comfortably eclipsing the $51 million debut of 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
According to Variety, it also ranked as the best domestic debut ever for a biographical film, surpassing the opening-day record previously held by Oppenheimer. The film’s trailer had already signalled what was coming: according to several media outlets, it was viewed 116.2 million times in its first 24 hours, a record for any musical biopic or concert film in history. Industry experts, who had initially projected a $50–60 million domestic opening, were forced to recalibrate rapidly.
Oppenheimer dethroned, Bohemian Rhapsody left behind
The milestones kept stacking up as the weeks went on. According to Deadline, Michael first surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody’s lifetime gross of $911 million to become the highest-grossing music biopic ever made.
Then, as reported by Variety, it crossed the $976 million mark set by Oppenheimer to claim the crown of the highest-grossing biographical film of all time — a record the Nolan film had held for nearly three years. As per The Wrap, Michael currently stands at $977.4 million globally, with $370.2 million earned domestically and $607.2 million from international markets.
Nearly 62 percent of the film’s total revenue has come from outside North America, according to reports, underscoring the truly global reach of Jackson’s legacy. The film has surpassed the lifetime gross of Bohemian Rhapsody in 40 international markets, including Brazil, France, and Mexico, reports indicate.
One billion dollars in sight
With Michael still in active theatrical release — including a recent opening in Japan via Kino Films — Experts believe the film is now squarely on course to cross the $1 billion mark. According to Deadline, that would make it only the second film of 2026 to reach that milestone, after Universal and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
The film is also now the highest-grossing release in Lionsgate’s history, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s $865 million global total, per reports. Producer Graham King — who also produced Bohemian Rhapsody — has now, remarkably, broken his own music biopic record. As estate co-executor John Branca told The Washington Informer, the film was conceived not as just another music biopic but as a story on Jackson’s own terms. Seventeen years after his death, the King of Pop appears to have had the last word.