Michael Just Beat A Major Box Office Record Held By An Oscar-Winning Blockbuster – SlashFilm

It is official: The King of Pop has taken the crown on the field workplace, no less than as far as musical film biopics are involved. “Michael,” the Antoine Fuqua-directed movie centered on the late Michael Jackson, has formally overtaken “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which focuses on Freddie Mercury and the band Queen) to change into the best-grossing musical biopic ever.

As was first reported by Deadline, “Michael” has made $911.9 million in theaters worldwide because it heads into its eighth weekend. The following few days shall be dominated by “Disclosure Day,” which may very well be Steven Spielberg’s greatest field workplace hit in a decade. Nonetheless, it is the music of Michael Jackson that has etched its manner into the document books in an all new manner. The film’s whole simply barely places it previous “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which made $911 million worldwide, together with its 2020 and 2026 re-releases.

“Michael” dominated the field workplace on its opening weekend with greater than $218 million globally, together with a whopping $97 million home debut. The biopic has proved to have legs, regardless of stiff competitors from the likes of “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” “The Satan Wears Prada 2,” “Obsession,” “Backrooms,” and “Scary Film.” The summer time film season has gotten off to a scorching begin, however, even so, this movie has chugged proper alongside each in North America and abroad.

That success comes regardless of an absence of affection from critics. The film boasts a awful 38% crucial approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, with /Movie’s Witney Seibold calling “Michael” an “overly-sanitized biopic of the King of Pop” in his evaluation. Nonetheless, audiences have roundly disagreed. The movie’s viewers rating sits at 97%. It is a crowd-pleaser.

“Michael” stars Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson because the late Grammy-profitable artist. The film has courted controversy, as did the true-life pop star. Certainly, “Michael” needed to reshoot its whole third act amidst behind-the-scenes drama, which largely stemmed from a authorized problem associated to one of many individuals who have accused Jackson of sexual abuse. Regardless of that, Lionsgate, Antoine Fuqua, and all concerned managed to drag collectively one of many greatest industrial hits of 2026.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” traveled a equally rocky street, as director Bryan Singer (“X-Males”) was fired from the biopic and changed by Dexter Fletcher (“Eddie the Eagle”) mid-manufacturing. Critics have been equally combined on the top end result, however, all the identical, it grew to become a worldwide crowd-pleaser that shattered the ceiling for what a musical biopic might do on the field workplace. Rami Malek would even go on to win a Greatest Actor Oscar for his work as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

Will “Michael” topple some other data earlier than all’s mentioned and carried out? Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is presently the best-grossing biopic of all time, with $975.8 million to its identify. It could be a stretch, however that is nearby if “Michael” can proceed to leg out abroad. Past that, becoming a member of the $1 billion membership can be a serious stretch at this level, but it surely’s not off the desk, both, particularly if there’s some form of re-launch down the street.

In the meantime, the success of “Michael” on the field workplace has all however assured a sequel will occur. Lionsgate will undoubtedly make it a precedence. Whether or not or not that observe-up can match the excessive highs of its predecessor stays to be seen, however that is a dialog for an additional day.

“Michael” is in theaters now.