Lionsgate and Universal's Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson and directed by Antoine Fuqua, has become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, overtaking Bohemian Rhapsody.
The Michael Jackson biopic, starring Jaafar Jackson and directed by Antoine Fuqua, lands in Japanese cinemas today, and has already made $911.9 million worldwide.
The Japanese market alone could propel Michael to become the second film to surpass $1 billion at the global box office in 2026, following Universal's Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Producer Graham King - the man behind the four-time Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody - has shattered his own all-time box office record in the process.
Jaafar Jackson's Debut
The Michael movie sees Jaafar, the 29-year-old nephew of Michael Jackson (son of Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza), make his big-screen debut portraying his late uncle. He has been performing as a singer and dancer since the age of 12, dropping his debut single, "Got Me Singing," in 2019. Jaafar was chosen for the role of Michael in the biopic following a two-year global search.
Producer Graham King said that Jaafar "organically personifies" Michael's spirit. Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, also publicly endorsed the casting, saying that Jaafar "embodies" her son.
The film covers vast swathes of Jackson's life, from his 1960s childhood as a child prodigy in The Jackson 5 through to his meteoric rise as a solo superstar. Key moments such as the creation of the Thriller album and the acquisition of the Neverland Valley Ranch feature prominently.
International Release and Records
Lionsgate has teamed up with Kino for the Japanese release, while the Santa Monica-based studio has also secured a theatrical run in Russia, where the film has already raked in $10 million.
The road to the big screen was far from smooth. The studio was forced to undertake $50 million worth of reshoots after the Jackson estate flagged a critical oversight in John Logan's screenplay concerning one of his accusers, who was never meant to be depicted in the film.
Producers initially declared their intention to "humanise but not sanitise" Jackson, though early reviews indicated the finished film leaned more heavily on his artistic achievements and turbulent relationship with his father, Joe, rather than the legal controversies of his later years.
Michael has so far amassed $358.6 million at the domestic box office, with a further $553.3 million from international markets — of which Universal generated $540.5 million after acquiring foreign theatrical and ancillary rights. By comparison, Bohemian Rhapsody took $216.6 million stateside and $694.3 million overseas.
Box Office Records Broken by Michael
- Lionsgate's highest grossing theatrical release ever at the worldwide box office.
- Highest grossing musical biopic of all time.
- Largest global opening weekend ever for a musical biopic.
- 2nd highest grossing film of 2026 worldwide (only behind Universal, Illumination and Nintendo's The Super Mario Galaxy Movie).
- 2nd highest grossing biopic worldwide, only behind Universal's Oppenheimer.
- 65 international markets achieved the highest grossing opening ever for a musical biopic.
- 40 international markets surpassed the lifetime of Bohemian Rhapsody, including Brazil, France, and Mexico.
- Highest grossing Universal film of all time in Brazil.
- Most successful biopic ever in France, surpassing the legendary local film La Môme (La Vie En Rose).
- Highest grossing music biopic (domestic).
- Highest grossing biopic (domestic).
- Largest domestic opening weekend ever for a musical biopic.
