‘Michael’ Continues to Dominate the Japan Box Office Despite ‘Toy Story 5’

The summer of 2026 has turned into an unusual season for Hollywood in Japan, where animated blockbusters and biographical dramas are competing for the same audiences. Family franchises typically rule this period with little opposition, and ‘Toy Story 5‘ arrived expecting to achieve that kind of runaway success. However, it finds itself sharing the spotlight with a film about a music icon who has been gone for over a decade.

‘Michael‘ has consistently defied expectations throughout its theatrical run. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, this biopic has grossed an impressive 977 million dollars globally since its debut in April, officially surpassing Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ to become the highest-grossing biopic in film history, with Japan being one of its most loyal markets from the outset.

According to box office tracker Luiz Fernando, ‘Michael’ earned an estimated 1.4 million dollars on its fourth Saturday in Japanese theaters, marking a modest 17.6 percent drop from the previous Saturday, which brings its total gross in the country to 29.3 million dollars. Such staying power in its fourth weekend is rare for any film, especially one competing against a new Pixar sequel.

Fernando’s tracking indicates that ‘Michael’ is benefiting from overwhelmingly positive word of mouth in Japan, positioning it as the third highest-grossing Hollywood release of 2026 in the country, with ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ now within reach for the number two spot. Japan has historically been a receptive market for Jackson’s story, a trend that is not new.

Japan has consistently outperformed expectations for Jackson-related releases compared to other international markets, a trend that dates back to the Kenny Ortega-directed documentary ‘This Is It,’ which found a dedicated audience there in 2009. The film’s strong opening weekend in Japan was expected given Jackson’s massive fan base in the country, and that fan base has continued to show up week after week.

The film’s global performance underscores the importance of every territory this late in its run. ‘Michael’ has already surpassed ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as the highest-grossing music biopic ever, amassing 911.9 million dollars worldwide, with 358.6 million domestically and 553.3 million internationally.

However, reception has not been uniform, as the film holds a critics’ score in the high thirties on Rotten Tomatoes while boasting an impressive 97 percent audience score on the same site.

This gap has become a significant part of the film’s narrative alongside its box office success. Jaafar Jackson’s portrayal of his uncle has emerged as a central topic in discussions, marking his acting debut in a role that carries immense personal and cultural significance, alongside Colman Domingo and Nia Long as Joe and Katherine Jackson, with supporting performances from Miles Teller and Laura Harrier.

With a fourth weekend projected in the 3.1 to 3.5 million dollar range, ‘Michael’ shows no signs of yielding to ‘Toy Story 5’ just yet. Do you think ‘Michael’ can actually surpass ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ in Japan before its theatrical run concludes?