‘Michael’ Just Became the Highest-Grossing Biopic of All Time, and Jaafar Jackson’s Reaction Says It All

There are box office records, and then there are the kinds of milestones that stop an entire industry in its tracks. The Lionsgate and Universal co-production ‘Michael,’ the long-anticipated biopic charting the rise of pop icon Michael Jackson, has officially joined the second category.

When the film debuted in late April, it was already clear that something extraordinary was happening. The movie opened to a staggering $97.2 million domestically on its first weekend, the best-ever opening for a biographical film, surpassing even Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed historical drama ‘Oppenheimer.’ Audiences arrived in costume. Some reportedly performed choreographed routines inside theaters. From the very first weekend, ‘Michael’ was more than a film. It was a cultural event.

Now, two months into its theatrical run, the numbers have spoken. ‘Michael’ has reached a cumulative global box office gross of approximately $977 million, outgrossing the $976.8 million worldwide total of ‘Oppenheimer’ to become the all-time highest-grossing biopic about any type of historical figure, not just musicians. The record had stood for three years. It took the King of Pop to dethrone it.

Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s real-life nephew who portrays his uncle in his acting debut, wasted no time sharing what the milestone meant to him.

Taking to Instagram after the news broke, he wrote: “Highest grossing Biopic of ALL TIME Wow. Thank you all so much. This record, this accomplishment. It was a dream goal of mine for this film and you all made it real. And I promise you Michael is up there absolutely grinning about this. This one’s for him.” The message, raw in its emotion and gratitude, reflected not just a personal triumph but a deeply familial one.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson alongside Colman Domingo and Nia Long as parents Joe and Katherine, the film chronicles the performer’s journey from the Jackson 5 to his status as the King of Pop.

The road to release was far from smooth. Lionsgate was forced to undertake costly reshoots after the Jackson estate identified a key issue with a plot point in the screenplay concerning one of Jackson’s accusers, who was not meant to be dramatised in the film. Despite that turbulence, the finished product clearly connected with audiences on a global scale.

The gap between critical opinion and audience enthusiasm has become one of the more fascinating storylines of the year. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rates the film at just 38%, while the Popcornmeter, which aggregates viewer reviews, sits at 97%. It is a divide that speaks to how polarizing a figure Michael Jackson remains, and how fiercely his fanbase is willing to defend his legacy.

In terms of sheer commercial performance, ‘Michael’ has made more than the four next highest-grossing music biopics combined, including ‘Elvis,’ ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ ‘Rocketman,’ and ‘Walk the Line.’ Those are not small films. The fact that ‘Michael’ laps them collectively underscores just how unique the King of Pop’s global reach remains, more than 17 years after his death.

The film’s popularity has also sent Jackson’s music skyrocketing up the charts, with ‘Thriller’ and ‘Billie Jean’ both climbing to the number one spot on the Billboard R&B charts. For an artist who has sold an estimated 350 million records worldwide over his lifetime, that kind of posthumous resurgence is a testament to the enduring power of his catalog.

With the Japan theatrical rollout now underway, all eyes are on whether ‘Michael’ can cross the one-billion-dollar barrier. The global fanbase for the most famous pop star ever has proven it endures, as the film has grossed nearly $600 million overseas, including more than $70 million in the United Kingdom and over $55 million in France. Japan has historically been one of the strongest markets for Jackson’s music and performances, making a push past that iconic threshold very plausible.

Lionsgate’s motion picture chair Adam Fogelson told company shareholders that the studio is making strong progress on a second film, saying conversations with all appropriate parties are going exceptionally well. A sequel seems all but inevitable at this point, and fans are already wondering which chapter of Jackson’s life will be explored next.

For now, ‘Michael’ stands alone at the top of a genre it has permanently redefined. What started as a passion project wrapped in controversy has become a historic achievement, one that the man at its center dedicated to the uncle he never stopped believing in. Let us know in the comments how you feel about ‘Michael’ claiming the all-time biopic crown.