'Michael' exceeds $900 million; It is already Lionsgate's highest-grossing film of all time

EDITOR'S NOTE: MONDAY BOX OFFICE UPDATE: Michael exceeded $900 million dollars in the global box office.

During the just concluded weekend (June 5-7), the biographical film Michael (2026), reached $897.9 million at the global box office to achieve a great record:

crown as Lionsgate's highest-grossing film of all time in its seventh weekend, surpassing the previous record holders: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) with $865 million global, and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2011) with $868.5 million global.

This week, the biopic of Michael Jackson will be released in the Japanese film market.

Michael remains on track to break the record of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), as the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time ($911 million), and even surpass Oppenheimer (2023) and become the highest-grossing biopic of all time ($975.8 million), and the first biopic in film history to gross a billion dollars.

And taking into account that the Japanese film market was the second highest grossing documentary This Is It (2009), after the United States/Canada, its launch in this region of the Asian market is almost ensuring the push it needs to conquer the aforementioned records.

Michael is distributed by Lionsgate at the domestic box office, and by Universal Pictures in most international markets.

The film had a Approximate budget of $200 million dollarsmaking it one of the most expensive biopics of all time.

With figures from The Numbers.

Since its launch, it has generated a clear division of opinion between professional critics and the audience. The majority of professional critics have harshly criticized the project, accusing it of trying to cover up the problematic legacy of the King of Pop.

In a recent extensive report from Variety, it was explained that the project had to modify its original third act in which addressed the well-known accusations against Jackson, after lawyers for Jackson's estate, who are involved as producers, became aware of the existence of a legal clause from one of the singer's accusers, Jordan Chandler, that prohibited his representation or mention in any film. Therefore, a rewriting of the third act was carried out and reshoots with a cost between $10 million to $15 million dollars, focused on a new ending.

Michael It ends in 1988, with the promise of continuing the story in a sequel. The first allegation against Jackson, made by Chandler, occurred in 1993, leading to an investigation that ended in a civil lawsuit settled in 1994.

Antoine Fuqua directs the script John Loganwith a cast led by Jaafar Jackson –Michael's nephew in real life– like Michael in his adolescent and adult years, and Juliano Krue Valdilike little Michael. Colman Domingo y Nia Long They play Joe and Katherine Jackson, Michael's parents, Miles Teller to John Branca, manager, and one of the co-executors of the singer's estate, Lawrence Tate is Berry Gordon, founder of Motown Records, and Laura Harrier is pioneering music executive Suzanne de Passe.

Can read our review of Michael here.

SYNOPSIS:

“Michael tells the story of Michael Jackson's life beyond musiccharting his journey from discovering his extraordinary talent as the leader of the Jackson Five, to becoming the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a tireless quest to be the world's greatest artist. Highlighting both his life off stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early days as a solo artist, The film gives audiences a privileged view of Michael Jackson like never before. Here your story begins”.