Michael Jackson movie breaks biopic record – beating out Christopher Nolan
Oppenheimer's massive box office haul has now been surpassed
"Michael" has reached another milestone at the box office. The film about Michael Jackson is now the most successful biopic of all time. So far, Antoine Fuqua's film has grossed $977 million at the global box office. With this, "Michael" has surpassed the previous frontrunner, "Oppenheimer," directed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan's biopic about theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer – who went down in history as the "father of the atomic bomb" – grossed an impressive $975 million in 2023.
Of the $977 million that "Michael" has grossed so far, $370 million comes from its North American home market and $607 million from international box offices, as reported by Variety. The industry publication cites word of mouth and repeat viewings by audiences as reasons why the film remained a box office hit even during the competitive summer season.
The Michael Jackson biopic has already broken several records
It's not the only record "Michael" has set since its release in April of this year. Even the opening weekend's box office results were impressive: On its first weekend alone, the film grossed 97 million at the domestic box office and 217 million worldwide – the best biopic opening of all time. According to Variety, "Michael" is also the most successful Lionsgate film of all time. The studio's previous number one was the science fiction film "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," which grossed 865 million in 2013. In addition, "Michael" managed to dethrone the 2018 film about the legendary rock band Queen: With worldwide earnings of 911 million, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was previously considered the most successful music biopic of all time. And the next milestone is already within reach: The film about Michael Jackson could soon break the one-billion-U.S.-dollar mark.
The success of "Michael" was foreseeable. But while many believed the film was capable of such a strong showing, it was by no means a foregone conclusion. Especially since the biopic faced significant criticism for failing to address the allegations of child abuse against Michael Jackson. Audiences flocked to theaters, but "Michael" failed to impress many critics (you can read our take on the biopic in our META film review).
What Michael is about
The film, starring Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, tells the story of Michael Jackson's childhood in the 1960s, his rise to stardom as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, and his later breakthrough as a solo artist – with the album "Off the Wall" and its follow-up "Thriller," which became the best-selling album of all time in the early '80s. In addition to his musical career, the film focuses primarily on the conflict between the singer and his father and manager, Joseph Jackson, portrayed by Colman Domingo.
Given the film's commercial success, a second movie about Michael Jackson is probably just a matter of time. Especially since there's still so much more to tell. The first part ends with a performance of his hit "Bad" in the late 1980s. The singer's career therefore has plenty to offer that wasn't yet shown in the first film. A few months ago, Adam Fogelson, who serves as Film Chair at the production company Lionsgate, commented on a possible sequel. On Matthew Belloni's podcast "The Town," he explained:
"There is a massive amount of music, some of his greatest music, and life experiences separate and apart from allegations – a ton of it – that would fill more than a second movie on its own."
Just a matter of time
It remains to be seen exactly what the potential second installment will be about. Either way, the question doesn't seem to be whether a sequel is coming, but when it will come and who will be in it. We can probably expect Jaafar Jackson to reprise the lead role. Anything else would be, at the very least, a big surprise. As for the direction, following the film's massive success, Antoine Fuqua will likely be the first choice again. The director has also been linked for some time to a film about the ancient general Hannibal. Filming was supposed to begin this year in Italy, but production has now been put on hold. Depending on how long the delays last, it's even possible that Fuqua might return to the "Michael" biopic before tackling the historical epic. So far, however, this is all speculation. We'll surely know more soon.
