Michael’s Record-Breaking Box-Office Debut

On April 24, 2026 Lionsgate released the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” in 3,955 U.S. theaters. With a $155 million production budget and costly music-rights fees, the film earned $39.5-$40 million on Friday, topping the domestic box office. Weekend projections of $90-$100 million would surpass the $82.4 million opening of “Oppenheimer” and set a new record for music biopics. A clause in the 1993 lawsuit settlement barred any depiction of the accuser, prompting a late rewrite that removed the lawsuit and refocused the narrative on Jackson’s father, Joe (Colman Domingo). Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s nephew, portrays Michael.

Variety Magazine

Pre-release previews earned $12.6 million; Friday’s gross was $39.9 million, with TheWrap estimating $41 million total for opening day. Domestic weekend forecasts range $90-$100 million (Variety), $95 million (TheWrap), $88 million (Forbes). Internationally the film logged $111.4 million overseas and $206.4 million worldwide (Rollingout), opening in 64 territories; audiences were 61 % female, 38 % Black, 26 % Latino/Hispanic, and about half the tickets were premium formats.

The Wrap

Lionsgate chair Adam Fogelson called the opening a testament to the filmmaking team and audience love; the Jackson Estate praised the music and choreography; director Antoine Fuqua said the final cut reflects a focused storytelling choice after the legal restriction on the 1993 lawsuit.

Michael defies critics, wins at box office

Rotten Tomatoes lists a 38 % critic score versus a 97 % audience score; The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey wrote the film “exists to be consumed as an act of allegiance… rather than to grapple with Jackson’s legacy,” and Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed called the portrayal a “travesty of the truth” that omits abuse allegations.

The Independent

Opening-weekend projections vary from $88 million to $100 million; worldwide totals are reported as $200 million or $206.4 million.

The Wrap

• “If you give audiences what they want, they will come.” — Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair

‘Michael’ movie is smashing box office records

• “Clearly with this movie, a lot more young people are going to discover Michael Jackson and they will come away from this picture probably with the image that he was a very talented performer who was rather nice to children and that is a travesty of the truth,” — Dan Reed, director of *Leaving Neverland*

Rolling Stone

• “In a one-star review of Michael for The Independent, critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “The draw of Michael, Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King’s turn at the life of the King of Pop, isn’t the desire to understand Jackson as a person or as an artist, or to grapple with the weight of his legacy as one of the most pivotal cultural figures of the 20th century.” — Clarisse Loughrey, *The Independent*

The Independent

• “The long-awaited Michael Jackson biopic Michael is off to a staggering start, delivering a debut that has quickly rewritten the record books.” — *The Hollywood Reporter* (via Twitter)

The Source

A sequel covering Jackson’s later years is rumored but unannounced; the film will open in Japan in June, a key market for the artist.

Forbes