July 13, 2026, 11:53 a.m. ET
“Michael” still had one more milestone left to achieve in its remarkable box office run, and the hit music biopic has just done it.
The Michael Jackson movie, starring the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, has officially passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
According to estimates released by Rentrak on July 12, the film earned an additional $5.5 million this weekend globally, which brings its total box office earnings to $1,001,691 worldwide.
It’s the latest addition to a lengthy list of box office records for “Michael,” which is now the first biopic in history to gross more than $1 billion. In June, “Michael” became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time after outgrossing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the 2018 movie about Freddie Mercury. And when it hit theaters in April, “Michael” had the biggest opening weekend ever for a music biopic.
The title of highest-grossing biopic was previously held by Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” before “Michael” took the crown.
Since 2021, 15 movies have earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Among them, “Michael” is one of only three that is not a sequel or a remake, the others being “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Barbie.” For 2026 releases, “Michael” is the second film to gross more than $1 billion after “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which remains the year’s highest-grossing movie with $1,009,599,439, according to Box Office Mojo.
“Michael” is the highest-grossing movie in Lionsgate’s history, as well as the studio’s first $1 billion movie. The biggest Lionsgate movie had previously been 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which grossed $865 million.
The accomplishments are all the more impressive given behind-the-scenes turmoil that threatened to derail “Michael.” According to Variety, the movie was originally set to address the allegation that Jackson molested 13-year-old Jordan Chandler in 1993, but significant reshoots were needed after a legal agreement was discovered that prevents Chandler from being depicted in a film. The solution was to end the movie in 1988, five years before Jackson first faced allegations of child sexual abuse.
Reviews for “Michael” were also mixed among critics, though the film was received much more positively among audiences. Lionsgate has confirmed that progress is being made on a potential sequel, but it’s unknown when it might arrive or what aspects of Jackson’s life will be covered.
As the movie begins to wrap its theatrical run, one of the next big questions for “Michael” concerns whether it can be a significant player at the Academy Awards in 2027. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the Freddie Mercury biopic, also received lukewarm reviews from critics but still won four Oscars in 2019, including best actor for Rami Malek.
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