‘Michael’ Just Delivered IMAX’s Biggest Second Quarter Payday In Years
Summer blockbusters usually steal the spotlight when it comes to premium format bragging rights, but this year a different kind of spectacle took over IMAX screens. The King of Pop’s long awaited biopic turned into a box office force that theater chains simply weren’t expecting to still be talking about months after release.
Music biopics have historically been a mixed bag for the format, often overshadowed by superhero tentpoles and animated franchises that dominate premium screens. That made what happened between April and June even more notable for an industry still figuring out what draws crowds back into theaters.
IMAX just posted its best second quarter since 2019, pulling in $103 million in quarterly revenue, up 12% year over year, off the back of $285 million in global box office grosses. Leading that charge was ‘Michael,’ the Antoine Fuqua directed biopic that became the format’s breakout success story of the season.
According to IMAX’s own earnings breakdown, ‘Michael’ alone delivered $69 million in global grosses during the quarter, outpacing other major releases like ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ on IMAX screens specifically. That kind of performance from a music biopic is rare, especially one built around musical sequences rather than action set pieces.
The film’s overall trajectory has been staggering. ‘Michael’ became the first biopic ever to cross the billion dollar mark worldwide, a milestone that put it in the same conversation as animated giants like ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.’ Fuqua called the achievement a humbling moment, crediting the producers, cast and crew for a shared vision honoring one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.
Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s real life nephew, stars as his uncle in his acting debut, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long portraying Joe and Katherine Jackson. The film traces the singer’s path from his Jackson 5 days to global superstardom, leaning on recreated concert sequences of songs like ‘Billie Jean,’ ‘Thriller’ and ‘Beat It’ that made it a natural fit for premium large formats from the very start.
Not everyone has been fully on board with how the story was told. Some critics have pointed out that the film sidesteps the child sexual abuse allegations Jackson faced later in his career, a choice reportedly shaped in part by legal constraints tied to a prior settlement. Still, that controversy hasn’t slowed audiences down, with the film continuing to add tens of millions in grosses week after week.
For IMAX, the numbers are proof that music biopics can be premium format juggernauts when executed right. With ‘Michael’ still playing strong and other titles like ‘The Odyssey’ now entering the picture, the format looks set for a genuinely record breaking year.
Did you expect a Michael Jackson biopic to become one of IMAX’s biggest earners of the year, or does its box office run still surprise you?
