LOS ANGELES, United States — The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has become the highest-grossing film in the history of Lionsgate, earning an estimated $898 million worldwide and surpassing some of the studio’s most successful blockbuster franchises.
According to industry publication Deadline, the film has generated approximately $354 million in North America and more than $543 million from international markets after seven weeks in cinemas worldwide.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as the late King of Pop, the film has exceeded the lifetime earnings of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which grossed $865 million globally, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which earned $868.5 million worldwide.
The biographical drama has enjoyed particularly strong performance in overseas markets. The United Kingdom and Ireland have contributed more than $68 million in ticket sales, followed by France with $54.5 million and Germany with $34.3 million.
Brazil has emerged as one of the film’s standout markets, generating $32.2 million and becoming the highest-grossing release ever distributed by Universal Pictures in the country. Australia has added $30.7 million, while Mexico, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands have also delivered robust returns.
Russia has also contributed significantly, with the film earning nearly $10 million through local distributor Volga.
The movie has already surpassed the box office performance of Bohemian Rhapsody in several major territories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia. It additionally overtook Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest-grossing musical biopic in North America just 16 days after its release.
Industry analysts now expect Michael to become the highest-grossing musical biopic in cinema history. To achieve that milestone, the film needs to surpass the $911 million worldwide gross recorded by Bohemian Rhapsody, which chronicled the life of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
The outlook remains favourable as the film has yet to debut in Japan, historically one of Michael Jackson’s strongest international markets. The country is scheduled to receive the film on June 12.
Japan was the second-largest overseas market for the concert documentary Michael Jackson’s This Is It, contributing roughly $57 million to its global earnings. Several other Asian territories have also yet to make major contributions to the film’s overall box office performance.
With strong momentum continuing and key markets still to open, Michael appears poised to set a new benchmark for musical biopics and further cement Michael Jackson’s enduring global appeal nearly two decades after his death.
