‘Michael’ Movie Racing to Break Huge Biopic Box Office Record
Few films arrive with the kind of generational weight that surrounds ‘Michael’, the long-awaited biographical portrait of the King of Pop. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, the Lionsgate production has been one of the most talked-about theatrical events of the year.
And now, with one major territory still to open its doors, the conversation around the film is taking on a historic dimension.
The buzz coming out of Japan this weekend is extraordinary. Before its nationwide rollout even begins, the biopic has been running limited early access screenings across the country in premium large-format locations, building anticipation in a market known for its passionate response to music legends. The early numbers have been turning heads among box office trackers worldwide.
According to data shared by Global Box Office, those preview screenings grossed $700,000 this weekend across just 62 IMAX locations, translating to an average of more than $11,000 per theater. The film has also earned a 4.2-star audience word-of-mouth score in the Japanese market, which box office analysts note sits in direct parallel with the legendary launch metrics of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, a film that went on to generate $114 million in Japan alone.
The timing of Japan’s full release could not be more significant. With one major market still to open, ‘Michael’ has been sitting at nearly $800 million globally, grossed $468 million overseas and $319 million domestically, and is widely seen as a potential challenger to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’s record of $911 million as the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.
The film’s official Japanese premiere took place in Tokyo ahead of its nationwide release on June 12, with Jaafar Jackson attending alongside cast members Juliano Valdi and producer Graham King. Also present were Michael Jackson’s son Prince Jackson and estate representatives John Branca and Karen Langford, as well as choreographer Travis Payne, who worked closely with Jackson on numerous projects.
The on-the-ground promotional efforts in Tokyo have matched the scale of the moment. Distributor Kino Films has overseen an extensive citywide presence, including a towering outdoor display at TOHO Cinemas Ikebukuro, a massive building-wall display at Shinjuku Wald 9, and a full aesthetic transformation of the famous Clappers Diner inside the Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro complex.
The film’s domestic run has already been remarkable on its own terms. ‘Michael’ debuted with $97.2 million domestically in its opening weekend, by far the biggest domestic opening in history for a music biopic, and has since become only the second music biopic ever to pass the $500 million global milestone, after ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
The cast assembled for the film includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Scruse-Jackson, Miles Teller as John Branca, Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones, and Mike Myers as Walter Yetnikoff. The film traces Jackson’s journey from his time as the lead of the Jackson 5 through his early solo career, ending around the release of his landmark album ‘Off the Wall’ in 1979, with a second film covering the rest of his career reportedly still in development.
A USA Today review of Jaafar Jackson’s performance noted that his liquid dance moves and soft-spoken cadence were studied to perfection, adding that the casting was not a matter of nepotism. That kind of critical endorsement for a debut performance has become one of the film’s strongest ongoing talking points.
With Japan now set to go wide, the path to becoming the first billion-dollar biopic in cinema history has never looked more real.
Do you think ‘Michael’ will cross the billion-dollar milestone? Drop your predictions in the comments.
