Love To See It! “Michael” Biopic Surpasses $1 Billion, Makes Box Office History

Michael Biopic

Love To See It! “Michael” Biopic Surpasses $1 Billion, Makes Box Office History

“Michael,” the #MichaelJackson biopic from director Antoine Fuqua, has become the first biographical film to cross $1 billion at the global box office!

According to reports, the film pulled in $371.8 million domestically and $629.8 million internationally for a combined $1.001 billion. The milestone caps a strong run that began with an April opening weekend of $97 million domestically and $217 million worldwide — well above the previous musical-biopic opening record set by “Straight Outta Compton” in 2015. Along the way, “#Michael” overtook “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the top-grossing music biopic and passed “Oppenheimer” to become the highest-earning film based on a real person, all while weathering considerable off-screen controversy and mixed reviews.

The film is also a landmark for Lionsgate, which produced it and led its North American release (Universal handled international distribution) — it’s now the studio’s biggest movie ever and its first to reach $1 billion, eclipsing prior top earners “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2.” Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew, stars in his acting debut, alongside Colman Domingo and #NiaLong as Jackson’s parents. Studio chair Adam Fogelson and Fuqua both credited the achievement to sustained audience enthusiasm, and Lionsgate is reportedly planning at least one more Jackson biopic.