Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Becomes Highest Grossing Film of 2026

Box office predictions often miss the mark, and few films have defied expectations like this one. What began as a heavily scrutinized passion project has spent the last three months quietly rewriting box office history, achieving milestone after milestone.

That momentum has now propelled the film past one of the year’s biggest blockbusters. Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ has officially surpassed ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ to become the highest-grossing theatrical release of 2026 worldwide, according to box office trackers who confirmed the shift occurred sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning this week.

The film’s global total has now exceeded $1 billion, with a domestic gross of $371.8 million and $629.8 million from international markets. This combined total has edged out the previous benchmark set by Universal and Illumination’s Nintendo adaptation, which held the top spot since crossing the billion-dollar mark back in early June after nine weekends in release.

Much of that late surge came from international markets that opened later, particularly Japan and Russia, both of which have historically been strong territories for Michael Jackson’s legacy. The film’s international performance has been particularly impressive, with approximately sixty-three percent of its total gross coming from overseas markets compared to fifty-seven percent for the Mario sequel.

‘Michael’ has been on an extraordinary run of milestones throughout its theatrical release. Just two weeks before surpassing Mario, the film overtook Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time, and it had previously surpassed 2018’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to claim the title of highest-grossing musical biopic ever made.

The film also quietly surpassed several other major benchmarks along the way, including Disney’s 1994 animated classic ‘The Lion King’ and its historic lifetime global total, as well as overtaking both ‘The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers’ and ‘The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug’ on the all-time worldwide chart. Reaching the billion-dollar mark also made ‘Michael’ the first Lionsgate release in the studio’s history to achieve that milestone.

Director Antoine Fuqua reflected on this achievement in a statement, calling the billion-dollar milestone a deeply humbling moment that celebrates the dedication of the producers, cast, and crew behind the film. He credited this success to everyone who shared a vision to honor one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.

The film stars Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s real-life nephew, in his acting debut portraying his uncle, alongside Colman Domingo and Nia Long as Jackson’s parents. Despite facing significant criticism for omitting the child sexual abuse allegations that shadowed the later years of Jackson’s career, the film has continued to draw massive crowds across nearly every major market it has played in.

This commercial success stands in stark contrast to the film’s reception among critics, many of whom have accused the production of presenting a sanitized version of Jackson’s complicated legacy. Regardless of this critical divide, audiences have clearly responded, leading to repeat viewings and sustained box office strength well beyond its opening weekend performance.

With Lionsgate reportedly already planning a follow-up film to address chapters of Jackson’s life omitted from this first installment, ‘Michael’ has fundamentally reshaped what a musical biopic can achieve commercially. Surpassing one of the year’s biggest family-friendly blockbusters with a complex, controversial subject like this one marks a genuinely unusual outcome for the industry.

For a film that faced this much scrutiny before its release, finishing as the year’s top earner is a remarkable turn of events. What do you think made ‘Michael’ resonate so strongly with audiences worldwide? Share your thoughts in the comments.