‘Michael’ Nears Historic Win Over ‘Oppenheimer’ as It Targets All-Time Biopic Record
The music biopic Michael is continuing its strong global run and is now approaching a major industry milestone. According to box office tracking data as of June 25, the film stands at roughly $965 million worldwide and is expected to climb past $970 million by the end of its tenth weekend.
The film is now just days away from overtaking Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), which has long been considered one of the defining box office successes in the biopic genre. Once Michael crosses that mark, it will become the highest-grossing biographical film of all time, a record that has stood since Oppenheimer set its benchmark run.
The global numbers show how quickly Michael has grown into a major blockbuster. The film has earned about $369.1 million in the United States and Canada, along with $573.2 million from international markets. That brings its total to more than $942 million worldwide, with final totals expected to keep rising as the film continues its theatrical run.
The movie has also already broken several records along the way. It became the highest-grossing film in the history of Lionsgate, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which previously stood at $865 million. It also overtook Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing musical biopic ever made.
The opening for Michael was also unusually strong for the genre. It earned $12.6 million from Wednesday and Thursday previews in the United States and Canada, followed by a $39.5 million opening day. That performance allowed it to surpass Oppenheimer for the biggest opening day ever for a biographical film, and also the biggest opening day of 2026 overall.
The film debuted to $97.2 million in its opening weekend, setting a new benchmark for both biographical and musical films. It also posted a strong international launch with $121.6 million overseas, bringing its global opening to $218.8 million. IMAX screenings contributed $24.4 million of that total, marking another record for the genre.
Despite a 44 percent drop in its second weekend, Michael still held strong with $54 million and remained one of the top-performing films of the year. By mid-June, it had already passed $932 million worldwide, moving beyond Bohemian Rhapsody and continuing its steady climb toward the $1 billion mark.
With its current momentum, industry estimates suggest that Michael will surpass Oppenheimer within days, officially securing its place as the biggest biopic in film history. Sources for these figures include global box office tracking reports compiled through June 26, 2026, covering all major territories including North America, Japan, and Russia.
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