Topline
The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” grossed $97 million at the domestic box office over its opening weekend, according to early estimates reported by the Hollywood trade publications, breaking the record for biggest opening weekend for a biopic and instantly making it one of the year’s biggest openings so far.
The Michael Jackson biopic had one of the biggest openings at North American theaters in 2026 so far.
WireImage
Key Facts
“Michael” grossed $97 million at North American theaters, as well as another $120.4 million for a global total of about $217 million—placing it among the biggest debuts of the year so far.
It also shattered the record for biggest opening weekend for a music biopic, which was previously held by the N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton” after it grossed $60.2 million over its opening weekend in 2015, as well as the record for biggest general biopic opening, held by “Oppenheimer” after Christopher Nolan’s film about the life of the nuclear physicist opened for $82.4 million in 2023.
The massive haul far surpassed expectations—BoxOffice Pro forecast the film to gross somewhere between $65 million and $75 million in its opening weekend.
“Michael” is now the second-biggest debut of 2026, surpassing the $80.5 million debut for “Project Hail Mary” but falling short of “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which grossed $131.7 million when opening earlier this month.
Contra
“Michael,” directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring the king of pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, was panned by critics, earning only a 38% rating from reviewers according to aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and a “generally unfavorable” rating from Metacritic. However, the film is clearly connecting with audiences, as the massive box office haul implies. It has a 97% approval rating with viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned an A- Cinemascore from viewers surveyed after screenings.
Key Background
“Michael” was shot with a reported budget of $150 million. However, Forbes previously estimated the biopic needs to make back about $500 million to break even. Last year, the film scrapped a planned ending that would have acknowledged the pop singer’s allegations of child sexual abuse that broke in the 1990s. Producers were worried the ending could have run afoul of a 1994 settlement with one of Jackson’s accusers, which included a clause that their story could not be dramatized. Producers had to book 22 days of reshoots last July, which Forbes estimates cost the production up to $25 million—although other reports indicate this figure was as high as $50 million for just under three weeks of filming.
Big Number
Over $3 billion. That’s how much Forbes estimates Michael Jackson’s estate has made since his death in 2009.