Michael Jackson Biopic Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

Michael, the biographical drama starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, has officially surpassed $1 billion worldwide, becoming the first biopic in cinema history to reach the mark.

The film about Michael Jackson has generated $629.8 million overseas and $371.8 million domestically, bringing its global tally to $1.001 billion. Despite noisy behind-the-scenes drama and a critical pile-on, “Michael” has been breaking records and shattering expectations since landing on the big screen in April. The movie opened to $97 million domestically and $217 million globally, shattering the opening weekend benchmark for musical biopics set by 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton” ($60 million). With positive word-of-mouth and audiences who returned a number of times, “Michael” remained a global box office powerhouse through the height of summer movie season.

The Antoine Fuqua directed film has been rewriting the record books since opening in April. It first became the highest grossing music biopic ever by overtaking Bohemian Rhapsody, then passed Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer to become the highest grossing biopic of any kind. Crossing the $1 billion threshold pushes it into territory no biographical film has ever occupied. The film has enjoyed remarkable staying power overseas and that’s a testament to Michael Jackson’s enduring worldwide popularity. Strong performances across Europe, Latin America and Asia, including a late boost from Japan, helped carry the movie over the historic benchmark after weeks of steady ticket sales. 

The film stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, in his feature film debut alongside Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller and Laura Harrier.