‘Michael’ Is Now Chasing Box Office History as the Highest-Grossing Biopic of All Time

When a film about the King of Pop arrived in theaters in April, few predicted it would still be rewriting the record books nearly seven weeks later. The Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ has become one of the most tenacious theatrical runs in recent memory, and the numbers keep getting harder to ignore.

The Antoine Fuqua-directed film, starring Jaafar Jackson as his real-life uncle, debuted on April 24 with a record-shattering opening weekend of $97 million domestically and $217 million globally, smashing the previous biopic opening record set by ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and dwarfing the $51 million debut of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ That was impressive enough. What has happened since is something else entirely.

The film has now matched ‘The Passion of the Christ’s’ 48-day streak of earning above $1 million per day at the domestic box office, tying the biopic record for that specific feat. With a cumulative U.S. total that the screenshot places at $357.8 million, the film is now within striking distance of toppling ‘The Passion of the Christ’ as the all-time highest-grossing biopic domestically.

The tracking data shows that ‘Michael’ maintained a streak above $1 million dollars per day for 47 straight days, a level of consistency rare in the post-pandemic box office era and one that places the film in a notable position for the longest streak of its kind since theaters reopened. The closest recent comparison is ‘Barbie,’ which previously held a 46-day streak.

However, ‘Michael’ still sits behind major blockbuster films like ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ ‘Inside Out 2,’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ which hold longer streaks in the post-COVID era. Matching a biopic-specific record while running alongside those general box office giants speaks to the film’s unusual and sustained cultural pull.

With $354.3 million in domestic gross, the film has already surpassed ‘American Sniper’ to become the all-time second-highest-grossing biopic domestically. The remaining target is ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and its $370.3 million domestic total, which would make ‘Michael’ the highest-grossing biopic in North American history.

One complicating factor hanging over the final stretch of ‘Michael’s’ theatrical run is the timing of its digital rollout. After making its digital streaming debut on June 9, the film conquered the digital streaming charts and became the number one film on both the Apple TV store and Amazon Prime Video. The question now is whether that availability will pull casual viewers away from theaters in the weeks ahead, or whether dedicated fans will keep paying for the big-screen experience.

Based on current trends, projections suggest the film could potentially reach between $370 million and $380 million in total U.S. earnings, with the film’s future performance depending in part on how the digital release affects theatrical attendance going forward.

The domestic story is only half of it. Globally, ‘Michael’ has crossed the $900 million milestone, making it the second music biopic in Hollywood history to achieve that mark. It sits roughly $11 million away from surpassing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’s’ $910 million worldwide total as the all-time highest-grossing music biopic of all time.

Despite critics largely rejecting the film, giving it a dismal 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have responded with enormous enthusiasm, awarding it a 97% Verified Hot audience score on the same platform and a CinemaScore of A minus. That gap between critical and audience reception is remarkable, and it tells a clear story about why the film keeps earning.

The film’s staying power through nearly two months of theatrical release, matching biopic records set by one of the most culturally significant films of the early 2000s while simultaneously approaching the all-time global crown for music biopics, is a phenomenon the industry will be discussing for years. Let us know in the comments whether you think ‘Michael’ will ultimately claim the title of highest-grossing biopic of all time.

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