‘Michael’ Crosses Into Legendary Territory by Surpassing ‘Oppenheimer’ at the Japan Box Office in Just One Week
Antoine Fuqua’s ‘Michael’ is doing something that very few films have managed to pull off in recent memory, and the numbers out of Japan are making the entire industry take notice. The Lionsgate and Universal co-production, starring Jaafar Jackson as his legendary uncle, has been rewriting records on the global stage since its domestic release, and its rollout into Japan has only added more fuel to a story that was already extraordinary.
The film’s connection to Japan is not accidental. Japan has historically outperformed expectations for Jackson-related releases compared to other international markets, driven by decades of unusually durable interest in Michael Jackson’s legacy rooted in touring history and long-standing pop culture influence. That same energy greeted ‘Michael’ the moment it landed in theaters there, and the response from audiences was immediate.
On its opening day, ‘Michael’ collected a solid $2.3 million at the Japan box office, setting a new record for biopics in the region and becoming the second-largest Hollywood opening day of the year, surpassing titles including ‘Wicked: For Good’ and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.’ The word of mouth that followed was extraordinary. Fans turned out in costume and performed choreographed routines in theaters, a participatory fandom that translates particularly well in Japan, where theatrical culture often embraces immersive and repeated viewing in ways few other markets do.
After finishing its first full week with an estimated $12.5 million in total earnings, the film added around $1.2 million on Thursday alone and officially surpassed ‘Oppenheimer’s’ $12.2 million Japanese box office total in just seven days. That benchmark put the biopic in the kind of company that makes even veteran box office analysts pause. A 4.2-star audience score in Japan sits directly in line with the legendary metrics carried by ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ during its own Japan launch, a film that ultimately generated $114 million in that single market alone.
The global picture is just as staggering. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the film has already dethroned ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, crossing $911.9 million worldwide with $358.6 million at the domestic box office and $553.3 million internationally. As of June 17, the film’s worldwide haul had climbed to an estimated $935.6 million, making it the highest-grossing film in Lionsgate history, surpassing ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.’
Should ticket sales continue climbing past $975 million, ‘Michael’ will overtake ‘Oppenheimer’ as the highest-grossing biopic of any kind in history, having already dethroned ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as the biggest music biopic ever. Deadline has reported that Japan alone could carry the film into the billion-dollar club, a milestone that would cement Jaafar Jackson’s performance and Fuqua’s direction as part of one of the biggest box office stories of the year.
The King of Pop told the world decades ago that he was bad, but his biopic is proving to be anything but. Whether you think ‘Michael’ has what it takes to ultimately dethrone ‘Oppenheimer’ and become the highest-grossing biopic in cinema history, share your take in the comments.
