Michael crosses $1 billion worldwide, becomes highest-grossing biopic ever

More than 17 years after his death, Michael Jackson’s legacy continues to captivate audiences worldwide, with Michael becoming the first biopic in history to surpass $1 billion at the global box office.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson—Michael Jackson’s nephew—in his feature film debut, the movie has overtaken Bohemian Rhapsody ($911 million) and Oppenheimer ($977 million) to become the highest-grossing biographical film ever.

The film also marks a major milestone for Lionsgate, becoming the first independent studio to release a billion-dollar movie, according to The New York Times. Lionsgate backed the project alongside Universal Pictures and Kino Films after several major Hollywood studios reportedly declined to finance it.

Despite earning a modest 40% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, Michael has been embraced by audiences, receiving a 97% audience score. Much of the praise has gone to Jaafar Jackson’s performance, which many viewers credited for bringing authenticity to the role.

The film opened to a record-breaking $217 million worldwide, the biggest opening weekend ever for a musical biopic, and maintained strong momentum through positive word-of-mouth before crossing the $1 billion milestone after nearly three months in theatres.

Michael chronicles the King of Pop’s journey from his early days with The Jackson 5 to global superstardom, exploring his family dynamics, personal struggles and musical legacy. Alongside Jaafar Jackson, the cast includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson, Miles Teller as longtime attorney John Branca and Kendrick Sampson as legendary producer Quincy Jones.