‘Michael’ Is Now the Highest-Grossing Biopic of All Time
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- Michael grossed $977 million at the global box office, surpassing Oppenheimer's $965 million to become the highest-grossing biopic ever, a Lionsgate rep confirmed to Rolling Stone.
- Lionsgate reported the film opened globally with $217 million in April and has earned $370 million domestically—ranking third behind the studio's two Hunger Games films.
- Jaafar Jackson portrays his uncle in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film, which covers Michael Jackson's career from the Jackson 5 through the 1988 Bad tour and ends with the words "The Story Continues," implying a sequel.
- Michael Jackson's catalog streams surged after release—Thriller climbed to #7 on the Billboard 200, and his solo work earned a career-best 137.5 million on-demand streams during the April 24–30 opening week, up 146% from his prior high.
- Jackson 5/Jacksons streams totaled 10.1 million that same week, up 135% from the prior week, per Billboard.
- Filmmakers were legally prohibited from depicting child sexual abuse allegations from accuser Jordan Chandler, forcing a complete third-act reshoot and delaying the release by nearly a year—and the film drew negative reviews for not addressing the claims.
Why it matters: Michael became the top-grossing biopic ever ($977M vs. Oppenheimer's $965M) despite negative reviews and the omission of the abuse allegations critics demanded it address—Lionsgate's bet paid off, with Thriller back on the Billboard 200 and on-demand solo streams up 146% from Jackson's prior career high.
