The ‘Michael’ Box Office Streak Ends But Sets Historic Biopic Record

The King of Pop has always played by his own rules, and his biopic is doing the same. ‘Michael’, the Antoine Fuqua-directed life story of Michael Jackson, has now concluded its impressive streak of grossing over one million dollars daily at the domestic box office. However, the figures it leaves behind tell an extraordinary story on their own.

Tracking data confirms that ‘Michael’ maintained a daily gross above the one million dollar mark for 48 consecutive days domestically, matching the exact record previously held by ‘The Passion of the Christ’ in the biopic category, a benchmark that had stood for over two decades. The film’s total domestic earnings have reached approximately $358.6 million, placing it among the top 75 highest-grossing domestic releases of all time.

With that domestic cumulative, ‘Michael’ has already surpassed ‘American Sniper’ to become the all-time second-highest-grossing biopic in North American history. The only film standing between it and the all-time domestic biopic crown is ‘The Passion of the Christ’, which collected $370.3 million domestically over its entire run. Projections now suggest ‘Michael’ could match or exceed that total, with forecasts pointing to a final domestic haul somewhere between $370 million and $380 million.

The milestone pursuit does not stop there. ‘Michael’ has also crossed $911.9 million worldwide, surpassing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time globally. It has also become the highest-grossing release in Lionsgate’s history, surpassing ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, marking the biggest box office success in director Antoine Fuqua’s career.

Despite critics largely dismissing the film, with a 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have responded differently, giving it a 97% Verified Hot score on the same platform alongside a CinemaScore of A minus. This disconnect between critical reception and public enthusiasm has defined the film’s entire theatrical journey and highlights the enduring global appeal of Michael Jackson as a cultural icon.

One potential complication for its final domestic total is the digital rollout. Lionsgate announced that the biopic would arrive on premium video-on-demand platforms on June 9, giving audiences a chance to watch it from home less than seven weeks after its theatrical debut. Whether this accelerated digital window cannibalized the remaining theatrical run or simply extended the film’s reach to new audiences remains a key question as it chases the final record standing in its way.

The film stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew, in the title role, and opened on April 24 with a $97 million domestic debut, breaking the previous all-time record for a music biopic opening weekend. What followed has been one of the most sustained commercial performances in recent box office history, and the title of greatest-grossing biopic of all time now appears to be a matter of when, not if.

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