‘Michael’ leaves Elvis Presley biopic behind

The Michael Jackson biopic has overtaken the Elvis Presley film to become the second highest-grossing music biopic in cinema history, raking in $577 million since its release on 24 April.

The Antoine Fuqua-directed film, which stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, 29, in the lead role, pushed past Elvis, which earned $288.7 million worldwide in 2022, after a third weekend that brought in a further $95 million. 

That takes Michael‘s total to $240.4 million domestically and $336.88 million internationally. 

Only Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic, sits above it with $910.8 million worldwide.

The film’s box office journey has been remarkable from the outset. 

Its opening weekend brought in $97 million domestically and $120.4 million internationally for a global debut of $217.4 million, the biggest domestic opening for any biopic, surpassing Oppenheimer‘s $80 million debut in 2023, and the best worldwide opening for a music biopic. 

It set records in 63 countries on its opening weekend, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Australia and South Asia.

France has been a particularly strong market, with Michael topping the box office there most recently with $7.2 million in its third weekend. 

The film is also expected to open in Japan in June.

The success is all the more striking given the controversy surrounding the production. 

The film’s total cost reached $200 million after producers Graham King and Lionsgate scrapped any reference to the abuse allegations that followed Jackson in the later years of his career, forcing 20 days of additional shooting at a cost of $50 million. 

Critics have been largely unkind, the film currently sits at 35 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences have clearly responded differently.

For Lionsgate, Michael represents its biggest debut since the pandemic and its sixth-largest opening ever. It has also become the second-biggest opening of the year so far, behind only The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.