Moonwalking Into History: ‘Michael’ Officially Dethrones ‘Oppenheimer’ as the Highest-Grossing Biopic of All Time

There are box office milestones, and then there are moments that genuinely reshape how Hollywood thinks about an entire genre.

The Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael‘ has been delivering both kinds of moments since it first opened in April, dismantling records almost every weekend it has been in theaters. What began as an ambitious gamble for Lionsgate has quietly turned into one of the most commercially dominant theatrical runs in recent memory.

The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael Jackson’s own nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, had already cleared an enormous hurdle earlier this month. It surpassed ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, crossing $911.9 million worldwide and igniting a fresh wave of conversation about just how far the King of Pop could carry this film. The answer, it turns out, was further than anyone fully imagined.

On Sunday, ‘Michael’ officially crossed the $975 million mark worldwide, surpassing Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ to become the highest-grossing biopic of any kind in cinema history. The record that many considered nearly untouchable has now fallen, and it fell to a story about a pop star, not a physicist. As of last week, the film had grossed $959.6 million globally, with international ticket sales accounting for nearly 62 percent of its worldwide total, and its continued momentum in Japan pushed it past the finish line.

Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ ended its theatrical run with a global total of $912.7 million, surpassing the previous record held by ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and cementing itself as the highest-grossing biopic of all time. The achievement felt nearly unassailable, a once-in-a-generation box office performance built around a three-hour, R-rated story about a physicist and a bomb. And yet here we are.

Adding another layer to the story is producer Graham King, who also produced ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ meaning King has now beaten his own all-time record in the music biopic genre. In 40 international markets, including Brazil, France, and Mexico, ‘Michael’ has already surpassed the entire lifetime gross of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ and it became the most successful biopic ever released in France, overtaking the beloved Édith Piaf drama ‘La Vie en Rose.’

Part of what makes the film’s ascent so culturally fascinating is the staggering gap between how critics and audiences received it. On Rotten Tomatoes, 38 percent of critics’ reviews are positive, with the site’s consensus reading that while Jaafar Jackson’s smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, the musical biopic mostly plays like a greatest hits album that could have benefited from more insight into the icon. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an A minus, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 90 percent positive score, with 84 percent saying they would definitely recommend it.

With audiences actually showing up in costume to catch the film, and some of them performing choreographed routines in the theater, the film is remarkable proof of the King of Pop’s cultural relevance. Critics dismissed it. Moviegoers turned it into the most successful biopic ever made. That contrast has become one of the defining entertainment stories of the year.

With ‘Michael’ now surpassing ‘Oppenheimer,’ attention turns immediately to the next milestone. If the film can push past $975 million, it would be only $25 million away from becoming the first biopic to break $1 billion at the box office, which would make it the second film of the year to achieve that mark alongside the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Japan, which opened just weeks ago and has been delivering extraordinary holds each weekend, remains the key engine powering that charge.

The film’s opening weekend of $97.2 million was the best ever for a biographical or musical film, surpassing the record previously held by ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ and the staying power since then has been equally remarkable. The movie has had remarkable weekend holds, dipping by 44 percent in its second weekend, 30 percent in the third, 31 percent in the fourth, 21 percent in the fifth, and 43 percent in the sixth. For a film of this scale, that kind of resilience across multiple months is rare.

A sequel is already in development at Lionsgate. The first chapter of this story has now written itself into the record books permanently. Let us know in the comments whether you think ‘Michael’ can become the first biopic to cross the billion-dollar mark before its theatrical run ends.

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