Michael box office collection: Michael Jackson film opens at $82 million, all-time record for biopics; beats Oppenheimer

Michael worldwide box office collection: The Michael Jackson biopic is looking at a potential $200-million opening weekend.

Published on: Apr 26, 2026, 17:20:00 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Michael worldwide box office collection: The biopic of Michael Jackson has taken a roaring start at the global box office, minting $82 million worldwide on its first day. The film is now projected to make over $200 million in its opening weekend, a record for any live-action film this year and also the best start for any biopic in history.

Michael box office collection: Jaafar Jackson plays his uncle in the Michael Jackson biopic.

Michael box office update

Michael, which stars his nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role, released worldwide on Friday with paid previews in some markets on Thursday evening. According to the makers, the film raked in over $13 million from paid previews. Box Office Mojo reported its day 1 earnings in North America at $39 million, the highest ever for any biopic, beating Oppenheimer’s $33 million mark. Overseas, the film has earned $30 million, taking its global haul after the first day to an imposing $82 million.

This is the all-time best start for a biopic at the global box office, besting the launches of Oppenheimer and Bohemian Rhapsody, both of which failed to breach the $80-million mark.

According to Deadline, the musical biopic is looking at a weekend haul of $90-95 million at the North American box office, again a potential new record for biopics, beating Oppenheimer ($82 million) and Straight Outta Compton ($61 million).

Universal is reporting potential grosses of $111 million over the weekend across 82 territories (excluding Korea and Japan). This will take the film past $200 million worldwide in just three days, helping the film enter the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year.

Michael remains steady in India

While the domestic collection figures for Michael (from North America) are stupendous, it has done fairly well in India, too, a country where the pop icon enjoyed considerable popularity. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, the film has grossed over $1.3 million in the country in two days.

All about Michael

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, Michael also stars Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo. The film chronicles Michael Jackson's journey from Gary, Indiana, to global superstar, featuring his early years with the Jackson 5, his breakthrough album Off The Wall, and his superstardom with Thriller.

The film has received negative reviews from critics, with an approval rating of around 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. That has been accompanied by criticism for ‘whitewashing’ and ‘sanitising’ the singer's image. But none of that has deterred the fans from lining up at the theatres.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

Stay connected with all the glitz and glam from the world of entertainment, right from Hollywood gossip to Bollywood chit chat. Also don't miss out on music buzz, anime scoops and OTT action.