'Michael' becomes first-ever biopic to surpass $1b at box office
The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has made box office history by becoming the first biographical film ever to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide, setting a new benchmark for the genre.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson's real-life nephew, in his feature film debut, Michael has now earned more than $1 billion globally, overtaking every biopic that came before it. The milestone comes just weeks after the film surpassed Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time.
The film has enjoyed extraordinary success since its April release, opening to a record-breaking $217.4 million worldwide, including a $97 million domestic debut, the biggest opening weekend ever for a biographical film.
Michael chronicles the life and career of the King of Pop, following his rise from child star with the Jackson 5 to one of the most influential and best-selling artists in music history. Alongside Jaafar Jackson, the cast includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as longtime attorney John Branca.
The achievement is a major victory for Lionsgate, with Michael now standing as the studio's highest-grossing release ever. The film's performance has also fuelled renewed interest in music biopics, with several major studios accelerating projects centred on iconic recording artists.
Industry analysts have credited the film's broad appeal to Michael Jackson's enduring global fanbase, positive audience word of mouth and strong international performance. The biopic has consistently delivered robust ticket sales across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America throughout its theatrical run.
The historic milestone comes as Hollywood continues to embrace the biopic genre, though none has previously reached the billion-dollar threshold. Before Michael, the record belonged to Oppenheimer, which grossed approximately $977 million worldwide before being overtaken by the Jackson film earlier this summer.
With Michael continuing its theatrical run in several markets, its global total is expected to climb even higher, further cementing its status as one of the biggest cinematic successes of 2026 and the most successful biographical film in box office history.
Development began in November 2019, when it was reported that Graham King had secured the rights to produce a film about Jackson, with Logan attached to write. Lionsgate announced the film in February 2022. In January 2023, Fuqua was announced as the director, and Jaafar was cast as Michael. Further casting took place from January to April 2024.
After delays caused by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, principal photography took place between January and May 2024. After a clause was discovered in a legal settlement, references to the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations against Michael were removed, the third act was revised, and reshoots took place in June 2025, bringing the total production budget to $155200 million.
Michael premiered at the Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin on April 10, 2026, and was released on April 22 in the UK by Universal Pictures and on April 24 in the United States by Lionsgate. It received generally negative reviews from critics, who praised Jaafar's performance but criticized the story as "sanitized". It was however a commercial success, and has grossed $1.001 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing biographical film, the highest-grossing Lionsgate film, and the second-highest-grossing film of 2026. A sequel is in development.
Principal photography was scheduled to begin in mid-2023 and take place over 80 days in Santa Barbara, California. It was projected to spend $120 million on crew wages and vendors, according to the California Film Commission. Filming was delayed in September 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming took place between January 22 and May 30, 2024. Dion Beebe was the cinematographer, Barbara Ling the production designer and Marci Rodgers the costume designer. Robert Richardson was originally hired to serve as the cinematographer, before he left to work on Quentin Tarantino's The Movie Critic, prior to its cancellation.