‘Michael’ Just Became the Highest-Grossing Music Biopic of All Time, and It’s Still Going
Few biopics in recent memory have commanded an audience quite like Antoine Fuqua’s ‘Michael’, the long-anticipated portrait of pop legend Michael Jackson starring his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson in his feature film debut. From its very first day in theaters, the film made clear it was operating on a different level entirely from its predecessors in the genre.
The road to release was anything but smooth. The screenplay originally dramatized a 1993 child molestation lawsuit against Jackson, but those sequences had to be removed after producers discovered a settlement clause with the accuser that barred his depiction in film or television, requiring a major overhaul of the third act. A second film covering the rest of Jackson’s career remains in development, with the current film now serving as an origin story of sorts.
Despite the turbulent production history, audiences showed up in extraordinary numbers. The film arrived in theaters as an instant sensation, earning $97 million domestically and $217 million globally in its first weekend, ranking as the best opening weekend of all time for a biopic and smashing the record previously held by ‘Straight Outta Compton’. On its opening day alone, the film grossed nearly $40 million, recording the biggest opening day ever for a biographical film and surpassing Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’.
That momentum carried the film to a landmark that reshaped biopic history entirely. Per Deadline, ‘Michael’ officially crossed $911.9 million worldwide, edging past ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’s’ $910.9 million lifetime gross to claim the title of highest-grossing music biopic ever made. The milestone arrived the same day the film opened in Japan, its final major market, through a Lionsgate-Kino partnership, meaning its total figures will continue to climb.
With audiences showing up in costume and some performing choreographed routines in the theater, the film is remarkable proof of the King of Pop’s enduring cultural relevance. Overseas markets proved especially strong, with the film performing well in the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia, each contributing over $30 million to the international haul.
Studio executive Adam Fogelson described conversations about a sequel as going “exceptionally well,” teasing many more songs and stories yet to be told, with the possibility of the narrative moving non-chronologically. Lionsgate is expected to greenlight at least one more film about Jackson’s life, with the project carrying a price tag near $200 million, making it one of the most expensive biopics ever produced.
As ‘Michael’ edges closer to the billion-dollar barrier with its Japan run still underway, the conversation has inevitably turned to what a second chapter might look like, and whether Jaafar Jackson can once again disappear into the role of one of music’s most complex and celebrated figures. Where do you think the sequel should pick up Michael Jackson’s story, and is there any chapter of his life you’re most hoping to see explored on screen?
