Michael has set a new box office record, earning $217 million worldwide for the biggest opening weekend ever for a biopic.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film stars Jaafar Jackson — Michael Jackson’s nephew — in his first major leading role as the King of Pop.

The record-setting debut surpassed the previous musical biopic benchmark set by Bohemian Rhapsody, which opened with $124 million in 2018. It also moved ahead of Oppenheimer, which launched with $180 million globally, giving Michael the strongest start ever for a biographical film.

The impressive launch places Michael among 2026’s top box office performers after just one weekend in theaters, while continuing a strong year for cinemas following hits such as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary.

Michael Jackson

Produced with support from Michael Jackson’s estate, the film features the late superstar’s original vocals during its musical performances.

With Japan still to come in June, the movie has another major market left to boost its global total in the weeks ahead.

With a reported production budget of around $200 million, the film’s dominant opening puts it firmly on course to become one of the year’s biggest theatrical success stories.

If momentum continues, Michael could become one of 2026’s defining global box office stories.