Six weeks after hitting theaters, the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has become one of the most dominant theatrical events in recent memory, surpassing $850 million globally and closing in on a record that has stood since 2018.
From Bold Prediction To Box Office Reality
Before it even opened, “Michael” was generating extraordinary buzz. A teaser trailer released in November 2025 broke records by raking in over 116 million views within a single day, and the hype only intensified from there. The film smashed records during its opening weekend, dethroning a blockbuster that had been No. 1 for three consecutive weekends. Per Variety, “Michael” concluded its opening weekend with a 3-day domestic total of $97 million, surpassing “Straight Outta Compton’s” $60.2 million to mark the best opening weekend in history for a music biopic.
Closing In On An All-Time Record
The film has not slowed down since. “Michael” has passed the $800 million global milestone, becoming only the second music biopic in history to do so, behind “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” $911 million worldwide total. The crowd-pleaser, distributed by Universal internationally and Lionsgate domestically, has grossed $468 million overseas and $319 million domestically to date. With one significant market, Japan, yet to open, “Michael” should eventually surpass “Bohemian Rhapsody” to stand as the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.
“Michael” has already surpassed the third highest-grossing music biopic, 2022’s Elvis, which grossed over $288 million worldwide.
The Making Of A Phenomenon
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the film traces Michael Jackson’s life from his time with the Jackson 5 through his early solo career. The supporting cast includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, with Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, and Larenz Tate also appearing.
At the center of the film is Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s real-life nephew, in his acting debut. Director Fuqua expressed confidence in the casting from the start.
“It’s incredibly exciting to watch Jaafar bring Michael to life,” Fuqua said in a statement. “There was such a spiritual connection when I first met Jaafar, who has a natural ability to emulate Michael and such a great chemistry with the camera.”
Critics And Audiences Diverge
Despite the box office dominance, critical reception has been divided. The film is currently running at 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, some high-profile reviewers were more generous. Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote that “Jaafar Jackson gets Michael’s tentative, high sugary voice just right, but he also shows us how that famous personality evolves.” Deadline’s Pete Hammond noted that “the iconic songs you hear from ‘Billie Jean‘ to ‘Beat It’ to ‘Thriller’ to ‘Ben’ are all vintage MJ, gloriously remastered and superbly lip-synched by Jaafar and Juliano Valdi, who plays the younger Michael.
What Comes Next
“Bohemian Rhapsody” had two major factors working in its favor when building toward its record-breaking gross: strong retention through the end of its run, and exceptional international performance, with 76% of its total gross coming from overseas markets. “Michael” is tracking along a similar path, with Japan still to come and global audiences continuing to show up.
A second film focusing on the rest of Jackson’s career remains in development, meaning that if “Michael” closes in on or surpasses “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” all-time record, the story of its box office journey may only be getting started.
