Michael Jackson Biopic Shatters Records with $97M Opening Weekend, Becomes Highest-Grossing Music Biopic Ever

Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael opened to a record-breaking $97 million domestically and $217.4 million worldwide, according to box office reports from EntTelligence and box office tracking services. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson in the title role, surpassed expectations and became the highest-grossing opening weekend for a music biopic in history.

The domestic opening of $97 million exceeds the previous record held by Universal’s Straight Outta Compton, which opened to $60.1 million in 2015. It also outperformed Bohemian Rhapsody’s $51 million debut in 2018, which remains the highest-grossing music biopic of all time with $910 million worldwide. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson called the result a “defining and pivotal moment” for the studio, noting the film’s success reflects “the tremendous outpouring of love and affection from moviegoers around the world.”

Internationally, the film earned $120.4 million from 82 markets, with Universal handling distribution overseas. Imax screenings contributed $24.4 million globally, including $13.8 million from 427 North American screens — representing 14% of the domestic weekend total. This marks the highest Imax opening weekend for a Lionsgate release in North America and the biggest Imax debut for any musical biopic.

Audiences showed strong engagement, with EntTelligence reporting 6.3 million admissions in North America alone, based on an average ticket price of $15.01 and a premium large format (PLF) price of $18.56. This exceeds the opening weekend admissions for Project Hail Mary, which drew 4.9 million viewers. The film’s Saturday earnings of $32.5 million represented a 21% increase over its actual Friday gross of $26.9 million when previews are excluded, indicating strong word-of-mouth hold.

The film’s production involved significant challenges, including 20 days of additional shooting to address concerns from the Michael Jackson Estate regarding dramatized allegations. The estate covered the $50 million overage, resulting in a net production cost of $200 million. Despite early projections of a $95 million–$100 million U.S. Opening, the film outperformed forecasts by nearly $30 million in North America.

Box office analysts noted that Michael achieved the second-biggest opening of the year in North America, trailing only Universal and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel. It also marked Lionsgate’s best debut since the pandemic and its sixth-largest opening in studio history. The film’s success positions it as a major contender in the 2026 box office landscape, with potential to reach $100 million domestically depending on Sunday’s performance.