Jaafar Jackson’s Michael Jackson Biopic Just Rewrote Hollywood Box Office History
Biopics about music icons have become one of Hollywood’s most reliable bets over the past decade, with films chronicling legends like Freddie Mercury and Elton John pulling in massive crowds. Few of these projects, however, arrive with the built in scrutiny and cultural weight of a film about Michael Jackson, arguably the most famous entertainer of the twentieth century.
That weight only grew heavier when Lionsgate handed the title role to someone with no acting résumé at all, betting an entire production on a first time performer to carry one of the year’s most anticipated releases.
That gamble has now paid off in historic fashion. The Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ has officially crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, becoming just the second film in 2026 to reach that milestone and the first biopic ever to do so. The account Global Box Office was among those celebrating the news on social media, noting that star Jaafar Jackson has become the first actor to make his leading role debut in a billion dollar film.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, ‘Michael’ follows the performer’s journey from the Jackson 5 through his rise as the King of Pop, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long playing his parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson. Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s real life nephew, stars in the title role alongside Juliano Valdi as the younger version of Michael, with both actors making their feature film debuts in the project.
‘Michael’ opened in theaters on April 24 with a domestic debut of $97.2 million, setting the record for the highest opening ever for a biographical musical film and surpassing ‘Straight Outta Compton.’ The film has since gone on to break biopic records in dozens of international territories, setting straight biopic marks in 31 countries and musical biopic records in another 55.
‘Michael’ has already overtaken ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as the highest grossing music biopic ever made and surpassed ‘Oppenheimer’ to become the highest grossing biographical film of all time. It also stands as the first Lionsgate release to ever cross $1 billion, eclipsing the studio’s previous high mark of $865 million set by ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.’
Director Antoine Fuqua called the milestone “a deeply humbling moment that celebrates the tireless dedication of our incredible producers, cast, crew and partners” in a statement shared by Deadline.
Do you think 'Michael' deserves its financial success?
The success comes despite a wave of criticism over the film’s decision not to address the child sexual abuse allegations that shadowed Jackson’s later years, along with a rocky critical reception overall. Even so, ‘Michael’ has become Graham King’s highest grossing film as a producer, Fuqua’s biggest box office hit as a director, and screenwriter John Logan’s second highest grossing credit behind the Bond film ‘Skyfall.’ Lionsgate has already indicated at least one more Jackson film is on the way, meaning Jaafar Jackson’s unlikely box office breakthrough may only be the beginning.
With Jaafar Jackson now etched into box office history books before most actors land a second role, how do you think this billion dollar debut changes the conversation around who gets cast to play music icons on screen?
