Box office record for “Michael”

The debate on “Michael“, the new biopic about Michael Jacksonis made up of controversy after controversy, but at least there is one objective fact: the record for the best opening weekend ever for a biopic. The film stars the King of Pop’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, and was released in theaters last week. According to box office data, it has already collected a enormous commercial successgrossing $217 million globally and $97 million in the United States.

“Michael” thus surpasses “Straight Outta Compton”, which grossed 60 million dollars on its debut, and “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which stopped at 51 million dollars. It’s the second-best movie debut of 2026 so far, behind the “Super Mario Galaxy” movie, but it also surpassed the $180 million grossed by 2024’s “Oppenheimer,” so let’s talk about best opening weekend worldwide for a biopic of any genre.

Adam Fogelson, president of Lionsgate, the company distributing the film in the United States, said: “You don’t achieve these results if you don’t have huge numbers in every conceivable demographic. Audiences are clearly having a blast.” Here you can read the Rockol review.

The film’s release follows a string of musical biopics released over the past decade that Hollywood considers guaranteed successes at the box office: Queen, Sir Elton John, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, NWA, Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston have all been featured in film adaptations in recent years.