Michael Jackson Biopic Box Office Outgrosses Almost All Of 2026’s Biggest Movies In One Weekend

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The global debut of Michael is off the wall.

Antoine Fuqua’s new Michael Jackson biopic, starring Jaafar Jackson (Michael’s nephew) as the iconic singer, premiered on April 24th and features a strong supporting cast including Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Mike Myers, and Colman Domingo. While the film has been met with some criticism for presenting a largely positive portrayal of Jackson and omitting the serious allegations of child sexual abuse that surfaced during his life and after his death in 2009, it’s already proven to be a major hit in theaters.

According to Variety, the film Michael is expected to earn $217 million worldwide by the end of its opening weekend. Although it premiered in many countries on April 22nd, giving it a head start, this is still the biggest global opening weekend for an English-language live-action movie in 2026, surpassing the $140.9 million earned by the sci-fi hit Project Hail Mary.

After just one weekend in theaters, the film Michael is projected to be a major hit, potentially ranking among the top 10 releases of the year worldwide. Currently, it’s at No. 6, trailing behind Wuthering Heights ($241.7 million as of Friday), Hoppers ($368.6 million), Project Hail Mary ($583.6 million), China’s Pegasus 3 ($641 million), and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($781.2 million).

The movie has quickly surpassed the total worldwide earnings of several major 2026 releases this weekend. It’s already earned more than Scream 7 ($213.5 million), the animated film GOAT ($190.5 million), the Indian blockbuster Dhurandhar: The Revenge ($152.9 million), A24’s The Drama ($99.9 million), Sam Raimi’s Send Help ($94 million), and the popular romance adaptation Reminders of Him ($87.4 million).

It’s still uncertain how well Michael will do in the charts overall. A challenge could be the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2, which comes out during Michael’s second weekend, starting May 1st. Luckily, May doesn’t have many other big movie releases, so both films could do well for most of the month. The only other major competition will be from Mortal Kombat II on May 8th and The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22nd.

Despite mostly negative reviews from critics (earning a 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes), the movie Michael is proving popular with audiences, who give it a 97% rating and an A- CinemaScore. These numbers are comparable to those of the hugely successful Bohemian Rhapsody, the highest-grossing musical biopic ever. While Bohemian Rhapsody’s $911 million success was exceptional for the genre, if Michael follows a similar path, it could also become a billion-dollar film.

If Michael reaches $1 billion worldwide, it’s highly likely to become one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2026 by year’s end. Currently, no movie has earned that much in 2026, though The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is expected to. Looking ahead, only a few films—like Toy Story 5, Minions & Monsters, Moana, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Doomsday—appear capable of reaching the $1 billion mark, which gives the new biopic a good opportunity to succeed.

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2026-04-26 18:18