Movies
‘Michael’ is now the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.
The King of Pop has officially dethroned Queen. Michael Jackson biopic fans are celebrating a major milestone.
Michael is now the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time. The film about the legendary artist has raked in $911.9 million at the worldwide box office since it hit theaters in April 2026, according to Deadline. This incredible achievement speaks to the global appeal of Michael Jackson biopic storytelling and the hunger audiences have for celebrating Black excellence through cinema.
Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2018 movie about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, held the previous record with a total box office of $911 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Michael, which features Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, could cross the $1 billion mark in the coming weeks. The movie releases in Japan on June 12. It could also become the biggest biopic of all time, beating Oppenheimer‘s $975.8 million haul. The film’s success reflects how audiences connect with stories rooted in cultural meditation and artistic legacy.
‘Michael’ sequel is in ‘progress’
Given its massive success, it’s no surprise that Lionsgate, which handled the film’s U.S. release, is moving forward with a sequel. Michael covered the early years of Jackson’s career, wrapping up before the more controversial aspects of his life, including the 1993 allegations of sexual abuse and his high-profile 2005 trial on child molestation charges. Michael had to sidestep those issues for legal reasons, but Lionsgate motion picture chair Adam Fogelson said on a recent earnings call (via Variety) that those obstacles won’t stand in the way of a second film.
“We are really excited about the progress we’re making with respect to a second ‘Michael’ film,” he said. “All the conversations that we’ve been having with all of the appropriate parties continue to go exceptionally well.”
“I would say that there is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story, and much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalogue that were not touched upon in the first film,” Fogelson added. “There are so many other events that happened, even in the time frame of the original movie that weren’t touched upon, so we’re very, very confident that we’ve got an incredibly entertaining movie that will appeal once again to a global audience.”
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