United States film 'Michael' sets biopic box office record | JQJO

LOS ANGELES, United States – The biographical film "Michael," directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, has become the highest-grossing biopic in box office history. Over the weekend of June 28, 2026, the film’s global ticket sales reached $977 million, edging past the $975 million record set by Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film "Oppenheimer." Released in April 2026, "Michael" has earned $370.2 million in the domestic market and $607.2 million internationally. The film opened to $217 million worldwide, setting a new benchmark for the strongest debut ever for a musical biopic and quickly establishing itself as a major commercial release for Lionsgate Films.

LOS ANGELES, United States – "Michael" went on to surpass the 2018 Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody," which grossed $911 million, to become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time and the top-grossing release in Lionsgate’s history, overtaking "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" from 2013. The film dramatizes the life of pop superstar Michael Jackson, tracing his trajectory from his early years performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 under the strict guidance of his father, Joe Jackson, through the peak of his solo career in the 1980s and culminating in the 1988 Bad World Tour. The cast includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as attorney John Branca, and the film’s box office performance has solidified its status despite the critical backlash and legal challenges reported during production.