‘Michael’ Just Dethroned ‘Oppenheimer’ to Become the Highest-Grossing Biopic Ever

The King of Pop is still breaking records, only this time it is happening on the big screen instead of the charts. Michael Jackson’s story has spent the past few months captivating audiences worldwide, turning movie theaters into something closer to concert venues than traditional screenings. Now the film built around his life has officially claimed a place in box office history that few could have predicted back in April.

Music biopic ‘Michael’ has become the highest grossing biopic with the film pulling in a staggering $977 million at the box office, surpassing the Oscar-winning ‘Oppenheimer.’ Distributed by Lionsgate domestically and Universal internationally, the film has grossed roughly $607.2 million overseas and $370.2 million at home since its release in April. That combined haul was enough to edge past the previous record set by Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed drama about the father of the atomic bomb.

Per The Numbers, the film closed out its 10th weekend in theaters with a global haul that officially outgrossed Oppenheimer’s worldwide total, making it the all-time highest-grossing biopic about any historical figure, not just musicians. The achievement is even more remarkable considering the movie’s original expectations were far more modest. Michael’s opening weekend projections sat around fifty to seventy million dollars domestically, yet the film nearly doubled those numbers and kept climbing from there.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, ‘Michael’ traces the singer’s evolution from his earliest days performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 through the explosive rise of his solo career. Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s real-life nephew, stars in the title role, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long portraying his parents. The casting choice struck a personal chord with fans, many of whom felt the family connection added authenticity to the performance.

The film had already made history before this latest milestone. It previously dethroned ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, and it now also stands as Lionsgate’s highest-grossing theatrical release ever worldwide. Not everything about the production has been smooth sailing, though. Lionsgate reportedly spent fifty million dollars on reshoots after the Jackson estate raised concerns over how one of the singer’s accusers was depicted in the script.

Critics have not exactly showered the film with praise, and reviews have pointed to a sanitized, simplified portrait of a complicated life. Audiences, however, do not seem to care. Estate co-executor John Branca has hinted that a follow-up chronicling Jackson’s later years is something the team has wanted from the start, saying it was always the hope to have the first biopic followed by a sequel, according to remarks he gave to The Washington Informer.

With the film still expanding into new international markets like Japan, there is real speculation it could cross the billion dollar mark before its theatrical run ends. That would make ‘Michael’ not just the biggest biopic ever, but one of the defining box office stories of the year. Do you think Michael Jackson’s story deserves a sequel picking up where this one left off, or should Hollywood leave the King of Pop’s legacy exactly as it stands.