In the words of the famous iconic King of Pop Michael Jackson, “a star can never die. It just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life”. This quote resonates deeply even after seventeen years of his demise and he has become immortalized in time, in hearts and in film because 2026 came with a record breaking biopic of this incredible man widely regarded as the Greatest Entertainer that ever lived: Michael Joseph Jackson.
In late 2019, the first news of this biopic broke out which involved acquiring and securing the rights to produce the film and it was greeted with enormous excitement. Fast forward to January 2023, it was officially confirmed that Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, would play the lead role in the biopic. Antoine Fuqua was announced as the director of the project as well and that was the beginning of greatness.
The biopic received so much acclaim and has had the whole world in a frenzy since it debuted in theaters globally but it sure had its fair share of controversies. Why not ?
But right now, Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' has defied all the controversy to set an all-time record for musical biopics with a $217 million debut
The film has broken box office records with a $217M global opening weekend, becoming the biggest live-action debut of 2026.
Michael opened with $97M in the US/Canada and $217.4M globally, making it one of 2026’s biggest box office debuts. The film drew about 6.3 million viewers in North America and performed strongly in IMAX, which earned a record of $24.4M globally. There were several production challenges along the way, the reshoots, the crisis, which somehow pushed the budget to about $200M.
As with every new project, strong marketing came into play, viral campaigns as well and there’s been plenty positive reviews and feedback from the audience. In Nigeria, “Michael” has been the rave of the moment, it has sparked conversations across social media platforms especially on Instagram and X.
It stormed the global box office, delivering one of the biggest opening weekends of 2026 and setting new records along the way.
Of course it tells and mirrors the life and times of the pop icon Michael Jackson and it has gone on to pull in a massive $97 million across the United States and Canada, while its global total hit an impressive $217.4 million. Out of that, $120.4 million came from 82 international markets, showing just how strong its worldwide appeal is.
In North America alone, about 6.3 million people went to see the movie during its opening weekend, according to EntTelligence.
The numbers didn’t slow down as the weekend went on. On Saturday, the movie made $32.5 million in the US, only a small drop from Friday’s $39.5 million (which included previews). Interestingly, when previews are removed, Saturday actually jumped 21% above Friday’s core earnings, a sign that demand stayed strong.
Premium screenings also played a big role. IMAX alone brought in $24.4 million globally, making it the biggest IMAX opening ever for a musical biopic. In North America, IMAX contributed $13.8 million from 427 screens, accounting for about 14% of total domestic earnings.
The film is already being tipped to cross the $100 million mark in the US, which would cement it as the biggest live-action opening of the year, ahead of Project Hail Mary’s $80.5 milliondebut.
Despite the huge success, getting the movie to the cinemas wasn’t exactly smooth. Production faced some serious challenges, including controversies tied to the Jackson estate and how certain characters were portrayed. At one point, the project needed an extra 20 days of filming, with the estate reportedly covering around $50 million in additional costs. That pushed the total budget to roughly $200 million.
Still, confidence never really dropped among those behind the project. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chairman Adam Fogelson said, “We had an incredibly powerful subject matter and the right filmmaking, distribution, and marketing team to pull it off, and we knew we were going to make it happen.”
And clearly, audiences are buying into it. Reports from cinemas say viewers are dancing in their seats, with many families using the film as a way to introduce younger fans to Michael Jackson’s music.
The marketing push has played a big part. The campaign mixed traditional ads with interactive experiences, including “Don’t Walk, Moonwalk” flash mobs in over 20 cities, which generated more than 23 million views. There were also HBCU marching band tributes, hologram dance displays in cinemas, and pop-up exhibitions celebrating Jackson’s life.
Online, the buzz was just as strong. The film’s trailer became the most viewed in Lionsgate’s history, hitting over 116 million views in just 24 hours. Across TikTok and X, promotional content racked up more than 564 million views.
The success of Michael has also given the overall box office a boost. The total domestic weekend haul is estimated at $154.3 million, up 5% compared to the same period last year. So far, 2026 box office earnings have reached $2.6 billion, marking a 17% increase.
Michael Jackson has now surpassed 70 million listeners on Spotify and on the Global Spotify charts, Michael Jackson has charted 7 songs following the release of the biopic.
9. (+13) Billie Jean — 3.58M
#28. (+27) Beat It — 2.71M
#109. (+48) Smooth Criminal — 1.7M
#112. (+37) They Don’t Care About Us — 1.68M
#114. (+68) Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough — 1.67M
#154. (NEW) Rock with You — 1.41M
#161. (NEW) The Way You Make Me Feel — 1.39M
Talk about breaking records in life and in death.
For now, Michael has gone beyond just a hit, it’s a groundbreaking triumph, blending electrifying storytelling with cultural depth to position itself as a true historical masterpiece in the making.