Michael Box Office Dances Past 20 Of History’s Highest-Grossing Musicals In Week 2

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Michael is telling its box office competition to beat it.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua (known for films like Training Day and The Equalizer), the new Michael Jackson biopic features Jaafar Jackson – Michael’s nephew – in the lead role. The film also boasts a fantastic supporting cast including Colman Domingo as Joseph Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Mike Myers, Kendrick Sampson, Larenz Tate, Liv Symone, and Miles Teller. Released in North America on April 24th, the movie broke records for a music biopic, earning $97.2 million in its first three days.

Okay, so the numbers are in, and Michael is wrapping up its second weekend with a seriously impressive haul. Lionsgate is reporting a worldwide total of around $423.9 million so far. Here in the States, it’s brought in $183.3 million, and internationally, it’s earned a fantastic $240.6 million. Not bad at all!

The film has become just the second musical biopic to earn over $400 million worldwide, following the huge success of Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s quickly climbing the ranks of the highest-grossing movie musicals ever made, jumping over 21 other films to reach number 30 on the list – just behind the 1991 Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, which earned $425 million.

By 2026, Michael surpassed several hugely successful musicals at the box office (without adjusting for ticket price increases). These include Best Picture winners like The Sound of Music ($286.2 million) and Chicago ($306.8 million), Ryan Coogler’s Sinners ($368.5 million), the popular film Grease ($396.2 million), the sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ($394.7 million), and Disney animated favorites such as Mulan ($304.3 million), The Hunchback of Notre Dame ($325.3 million), Pocahontas ($346.1 million), The Jungle Book ($378 million), and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ($418.2 million).

Despite controversy surrounding Michael Jackson and the film’s decision to end before addressing later abuse allegations, the movie has still been a box office hit. It also received largely negative reviews from critics, with a score of only 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, but that hasn’t stopped audiences from seeing it.

Despite mixed reviews, audiences clearly still love Michael Jackson’s music and story, as shown by a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Because of this strong positive reaction, the musical Michael has a good chance of becoming one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time.

It’s uncertain if Michael will reach $900 million at the box office and exceed the earnings of Bohemian Rhapsody from 2018. However, it’s likely to pass $500 million by the end of its first three weeks in cinemas. If it does, it will jump nine places on the all-time chart, moving ahead of films like The Greatest Showman, Les Misérables, and La La Land to reach the No. 21 spot.

Michael just needs to earn more than $758.7 million to break into the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time, landing right behind Bohemian Rhapsody at number nine. Wicked, released in 2024, currently holds the spot Michael is aiming for.

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2026-05-03 18:09