'Michael' becomes first-ever biopic to pass $1b worldwide

Film on late pop icon Michael Jackson is now among the biggest releases of 2026

Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson, has completed its worldwide theatrical run with approximately $1.029bn at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo. The final total stands at $1,028,706,645, including $372,303,388 from the United States and Canada and $656,403,257 from international markets.

The result places Michael among the biggest releases of 2026 and makes it the highest grossing biopic recorded at the worldwide box office. The film previously became the first biopic to cross the $1bn milestone in July, surpassing Oppenheimer and Bohemian Rhapsody in the process.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael stars Jaafar Jackson as his late uncle and follows the singer's early life, his rise with the Jackson 5 and his development into one of the most recognised performers in music history. Colman Domingo plays Joseph Jackson, while Nia Long portrays Katherine Jackson.

The film opened internationally in April, with Box Office Mojo recording a domestic opening of $97.2m. Its worldwide performance was driven particularly strongly by international markets, which accounted for about 63.8% of the final gross.

The billion dollar milestone was confirmed by Lionsgate and Universal in July, when the studios announced that the film had passed $1bn worldwide. At that stage, Michael had already become Lionsgate's first release to reach the figure.

The final tally gives the film a substantial theatrical run despite the discussion surrounding its portrayal of Jackson's life. Its commercial performance also places Jaafar Jackson's first major screen role at the centre of one of 2026's biggest box office stories.

With the theatrical run now complete, Michael leaves behind a billion dollar worldwide total and a new benchmark for biographical films.

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 production budget to $155–200 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 US by Lionsgate. It received generally negative reviews from critics, who praised Jaafar's performance but criticized the story as "sanitized". It grossed $1.029 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing biographical film, the first biographical film to reach $1 billion, the highest-grossing Lionsgate film and the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2026. A sequel is in development.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of 307 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10.

The website's consensus reads: "While Jaafar Jackson's smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, this musical biopic mostly plays like a 'greatest hits' album that could've benefitted from including liner notes to give actual insight into the icon." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 39 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A?" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 90% positive score, with 84% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety called Michael a "surprisingly effective middle-of-the-road biopic". He praised Jaafar's performance, writing that he "nails the look, the voice, the electrostatic moves - and the mix of delicacy and steel that made Michael who he was".

Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote: "You are bound to leave this one dancing. And what is wrong with that?" Abhimanyu Mathur of the Hindustan Times gave Michael four out of five, describing it as a "fun, soulful" film that "hits all the right notes" and praising Jaafar, but noted pacing and structural problems, including a lack of focus on Michael's brothers.

Writing for Prothom Alo, the University of Chittagong professor Moshreka Aditi Haq praised Jaafar Jackson's performance, the depiction of Michael Jackson's childhood and artistic development, and its exploration of themes of freedom, rebellion, and creativity.