“Michael,” the Antoine Fuqua–directed biopic anchored by Jaafar Jackson’s portrayal of his uncle, opened to $217.4 million worldwide. The debut marks the biggest opening for any biopic ever released. The film nearly doubled the launch of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which set the musical-biopic benchmark at $124 million back in 2018. It also outpaced the $180 million global opening of “Oppenheimer,” giving “Michael” the top spot among biopics of any genre.
Domestic theaters delivered $97 million, while international markets added another $120.4 million.
The film’s production budget, estimated at $200 million, makes it one of the most expensive biopics ever made. But its first-day domestic haul — $40 million, well above industry projections.
The impact didn’t stop at the box office. The film sent Michael Jackson’s catalog surging back into global rotation. Seven of his songs climbed onto Spotify’s Global Top 200, marking a rare resurgence for a legacy artist on a chart dominated by current releases.
“Billie Jean” led the pack at No. 9 with 3.58 million streams — the first time the 1983 classic has cracked the platform’s global Top 10. “Beat It” followed at No. 28 with 2.71 million streams. “Smooth Criminal,” “They Don’t Care About Us,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Rock With You,” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” also returned to the chart.
“Michael” opened on the same weekend throughout most of the world, but it has yet to launch in Japan, where the local distributor has scheduled a June release date.
Information from Deadline.com and Yahoo.com contributed to this report.