Full Breakdown
“Michael” Crosses $300 Million Globally, Securing Spot as Second-Highest Musical Biopic
5/3/2026, 7:34:03 AM
Global Box Office Milestone
Liongate’s musical biopic “Michael” reached a worldwide cumulative gross of $300 million today, overtaking Warner Bros.’s “Elvis” ($288.6 million) to become the second-highest-earning musical biopic of all time, behind “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($911 million). The film opened internationally with $218.8 million and added $47.5 million across 82 territories between Monday and Thursday, raising its overseas total to $169.3 million. Domestically, the first week closed at $129.8 million, bringing the global tally to $299 million as of the previous day.
Production Overview
The picture is directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Graham King, who also produced “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Its principal cast includes Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Colman Domingo, and Miles Teller. Universal handled the foreign distribution, while Liongate oversees domestic release.
Territory-by-Territory Performance
- United Kingdom & Ireland: cumulative gross $21.8 million.
- France: Thursday gross $1.3 million, reclaiming the day’s admissions lead over “Devil Wears Prada 2,” with a total $14.2 million.
- Mexico: cumulative $12.9 million.
- Italy: Thursday $900 k (+7 % week-over-week), cumulative $11.1 million.
- Brazil: cumulative $10.3 million.
- Germany: Thursday $900 k (+25 % uplift), cumulative $9.5 million.
- Spain: Thursday $700 k (+34 % uplift), cumulative $9 million.
- Middle East: Thursday $1 million (+36 % uplift), cumulative $8 million.
- China: Thursday $500 k, bringing the Chinese total to $6.6 million.
Comparative Ranking Among Musical Biopics
With the $300 million milestone, “Michael” now ranks second behind “Bohemian Rhapsody” and ahead of “Elvis.” Both “Michael” and “Elvis” share the musical-biopic format, but “Michael” surpasses “Elvis” despite a later release window.
Significance and Industry Impact
The $300 million milestone underscores the commercial viability of music-driven biopics in the current market. “Michael” joins a short list of musical biopics that have breached the three-hundred-million threshold, reinforcing Liongate’s strategic focus on high-profile, star-driven projects. Its performance also demonstrates that strong international legs can offset domestic declines, a pattern observed in previous successful biopics.
Market Outlook and Upcoming Projections
Industry trackers project a second-weekend domestic intake of $45 million, a 54 % decline, which would raise the U.S. total to $174.8 million by the end of the weekend. Internationally, Thursday’s $12.8 million reflects an 8 % drop from the opening Thursday. The film’s hold is described as “exceptional” given concurrent factors: favorable European weather, the debut of “Devil Wears Prada 2,” and regional distractions such as the ongoing Iran conflict, which the source notes has diverted attention.
Data Summary
- Global gross: $300 million (projected).
- Domestic week-one: $129.8 million.
- International week-one: $169.3 million.
- Key territories: UK/Ireland $21.8 million, France $14.2 million, Mexico $12.9 million, Italy $11.1 million, Brazil $10.3 million, Germany $9.5 million, Spain $9 million, Middle East $8 million, China $6.6 million.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The source reports a global total of $299 million as of the previous day and anticipates crossing $300 million today, but no final figure is provided. Projections for the second weekend remain estimates, and the impact of the Iran war on box-office performance is mentioned without quantitative assessment.
