Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Just Became the Highest Grossing Film of the Year
Box office predictions rarely play out exactly as expected, and few films have defied expectations quite like this one. What started as a heavily scrutinized passion project has spent the last three months quietly rewriting box office history, one milestone at a time.
That momentum has now carried the film past one of the year’s biggest blockbusters entirely. Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael‘ has officially surpassed ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ to become the single highest-grossing theatrical release of 2026 worldwide, according to box office trackers who confirmed the shift happened sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning this week.
The film’s global tally has now pushed past $1 billion, with a domestic haul of $371.8 million paired with $629.8 million from international markets. That combined total edged out the previous benchmark set by Universal and Illumination’s Nintendo adaptation, which had 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 took longer to open, particularly Japan and Russia, both of which have historically been strong territories for Michael Jackson’s legacy. The film’s international performance has been especially notable, with roughly 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. Two weeks before overtaking Mario, the film surpassed Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time, and it had previously passed 2018’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to claim the title of highest-grossing musical biopic ever made.
The film also quietly climbed past 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 passing 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 very first Lionsgate release in the studio’s history to hit that milestone.
Director Antoine Fuqua reflected on the 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 the achievement 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 drawing significant criticism for omitting the child sexual abuse allegations that shadowed the later years of Jackson’s career, the film has continued pulling in massive crowds across nearly every major market it has played in.
That commercial success stands in sharp 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 that critical divide, audiences have clearly responded, pushing the film to repeat viewings and sustained box office strength well beyond its opening weekend performance.
With Lionsgate reportedly already eyeing a follow up film to address chapters of Jackson’s life left out of this first installment, ‘Michael’ has fundamentally reshaped what a musical biopic can achieve commercially. Overtaking one of the year’s biggest family-friendly blockbusters with a complicated, controversial subject like this one marks a genuinely unusual outcome for the industry.
What do you think is the biggest reason 'Michael' became a $1 billion box office hit?
For a film that faced this much scrutiny before it even hit theaters, finishing as the year’s top earner is a remarkable turn of events. What do you think made ‘Michael’ resonate with audiences this strongly worldwide, share your thoughts in the comments.
