The Michael Jackson biopic Michael shattered box office records in its opening weekend, pulling in $97.2 million domestically and $218.8 million worldwide — the biggest debut ever for a biopic in North American history and the strongest global launch any music biopic has seen.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and released by Lionsgate, the film eclipsed previous genre benchmarks set by Straight Outta Compton ($60 million) and Bohemian Rhapsody ($51 million) with a margin that stunned even its own producers. Tracking ahead of the weekend had placed the film around $65–70 million domestically. By Friday night, those projections were obsolete. Producer Graham King and Lionsgate had never imagined the film had a shot at becoming the top biopic opener of all time.
The film stars Jaafar Jackson — the King of Pop’s nephew — as his late uncle, and carries a price tag nearing $200 million, making it one of the most expensive biopics ever produced. That cost was divided between Lionsgate, Universal Pictures, and the Michael Jackson estate. Critics gave the film a poor reception, with a 38% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, complaining that it paints a sanitized portrait of Jackson. Ticket buyers disagreed sharply, awarding it an “A-” on CinemaScore exit polls.
The source of that audience enthusiasm traces directly to the concert sequences. Like Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis before it, Michael scored by leaning heavily on recreating thrilling performances, including “Billie Jean,” “Thriller,” and “Beat It,” drawing audiences to Imax and premium large-format screens. Imax rang up $24.4 million worldwide — the format’s biggest debut ever for a musical biopic.
The film’s road to theaters was turbulent. An early version of the script had dramatized a 1993 child sexual abuse lawsuit against Jackson, but those sequences were cut after producers discovered that a settlement clause barred any depiction of the accuser in film or television. Jackson’s daughter Paris, who had no involvement, previously described an early draft as “sugar-coated.” The film ends its narrative before the controversy-heavy final years of Jackson’s life, a creative choice that critics flagged but audiences largely accepted.
Overseas, the film opened at No. 1 in 64 of the 82 markets where it screened, setting music biopic records in 63 of them — a result that underscores Jackson’s enduring international pull. Japan, one of his largest fanbases, was absent from the opening weekend release schedule. Lionsgate is expected to greenlight at least one more film covering the later chapters of Jackson’s life.
