‘Michael’ Box Office: Jaafar Jackson’s MJ Musical Opens to Record-Breaking USD 18.5 Million Globally!
The highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic has delivered a record-breaking performance during its international debut, establishing new benchmarks for the musical genre across dozens of global markets. Despite a polarized critical reception, strong audience enthusiasm is driving the film toward a historic worldwide opening weekend.
Lionsgate’s highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, has made a definitive impact in its global debut across 82 international markets. Starring Jaafar Jackson, the real-life nephew of the late King of Pop, the film has already set new opening-day benchmarks for the musical biopic genre in several major territories, signalling a massive global appetite for the singer's life story. ‘Michael’ Movie Review: Jaafar Jackson Excels in Michael Jackson Biopic; Juliano Valdi Steals the Show as Little MJ (LatestLY Exclusive).
Industry analysts suggest this strong start puts the film on a trajectory to potentially challenge the long-standing records held by genre giants like Bohemian Rhapsody.
‘Michael’ Shines at Global Box Office
According to a Deadline report, the film showed significant strength across Europe and Latin America on its first day of release. In France, Michael led the charts with USD 2.6 million from 743 screens, a figure matched by the combined performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland at USD 2.6 million.
The overall international opening day total reached USD 18.5 million, which includes USD 1.9 million from Tuesday night previews and USD 16.6 million from Wednesday screenings. Other key markets contributed heavily to this total:
Italy: USD 1.3 million from 480 locations.
Mexico: USD 1.1 million.
Spain: USD 1.1 million from 520 screens.
Watch the Trailer of ‘Michael’:
In many of these regions, the film is currently outpacing the early performance of previous biopic hits such as Oppenheimer, marking it as a historical debut for the genre.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film arrives with a reported production budget between USD 170 million and USD 200 million. While critics have been divided the film currently holds a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have responded with overwhelming enthusiasm, evidenced by a 96% audience score.
Trade experts are now projecting a domestic opening weekend in North America between USD 65 million and USD 75 million from nearly 3,900 locations. When combined with international projections, Michael is expected to secure a global opening weekend of roughly USD 150 million, which would mark the best-ever debut for a musical biographical drama.
‘Michael’ Background and Legacy
The film focuses on the rise of the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson's journey to becoming a solo global superstar, primarily covering the era through his Bad world tour. The choice of Jaafar Jackson for the lead role was intended to lend authenticity to the performance, particularly in the complex dance and vocal sequences that defined the artist's career. Who Is Jaafar Jackson? Know About ‘Michael’ Star, His Fiancée Maddie Simpson, and More.
Despite the commercial success, the film has faced scrutiny for how it addresses the more controversial aspects of the singer's personal life. However, if current trends hold, Michael is positioned to become one of the highest-grossing biopics in cinema history, potentially aiming for the rare USD 1 billion global milestone.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2026 01:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).