‘Michael’ Could Become the First Biopic to Cross $1 Billion This Weekend
Typically, summer box office charts are filled with franchise sequels and comic book spectacles, not three-hour biographical dramas about musicians who passed away over a decade ago. However, ‘Michael‘ has been quietly demonstrating that a compelling life story can still achieve remarkable success at the global box office.
The film, which chronicles Michael Jackson’s journey from the Jackson 5 to global superstardom, has already set new records for its genre. It has surpassed ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to become the highest-grossing music biopic ever and has overtaken Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ as the highest-grossing biopic overall. These achievements alone would make for an impressive run, but the film shows no signs of slowing down.
Recent box office tracking indicates that ‘Michael’ has amassed a total of $991.4 million worldwide after its eleventh weekend in theaters. This positions it to potentially become the first biopic in history to cross the billion-dollar mark. With only about $8.6 million left to reach that milestone, some analysts believe it could happen as early as this weekend, depending on the performance in key markets.
The $991.4 million total comprises $371.3 million from domestic markets and $620.1 million from international earnings across 85 markets. This split illustrates how much of the film’s success has stemmed from outside the U.S. Countries like Japan and Russia have significantly contributed to the international total, helping to counterbalance any declines related to the ongoing World Cup and the film’s earlier digital release in select regions.
What makes this milestone even more remarkable is the film’s production budget, which is reported to be around $200 million before marketing expenses. A biopic reaching a billion dollars globally on such a budget presents a vastly different profit scenario compared to typical blockbusters achieving the same feat, highlighting how effectively ‘Michael’ has performed relative to its costs.
Some box office analysts tracking the film’s weekly performance are now estimating a final total between $1 billion and $1.05 billion, depending on how the film’s remaining international holds play out in the coming weeks. Japan and Russia are expected to be crucial in determining whether the film lands closer to the lower or upper end of that range.
Biopics rarely achieve this level of success, and if ‘Michael’ crosses the billion-dollar mark, it would represent a significant milestone for a genre typically associated with awards season rather than blockbuster earnings. The film has already claimed the title of the highest-grossing musical biopic, surpassing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ and the highest-grossing biopic overall, overtaking ‘Oppenheimer.’
Reaching a billion dollars would elevate ‘Michael’ to a unique status, a distinction that no biographical film has ever reached, regardless of its subject or budget. With momentum still building in key international markets, the countdown to this milestone seems to be measured in days rather than weeks.
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