When it comes to Michael Jackson, the records seem never-ending. Even years after his passing, the King of Pop continues to make history—but this time on the big screen. *Michael*, the biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring the star’s nephew Jaafar Jackson—making his acting debut—and dedicated to his life, has officially surpassed $1 billion at the global box office, becoming the first biopic ever to reach this milestone.
After its theatrical release in April, the film grossed $629.8 million in international markets and $371.8 million in the United States, reaching a total of $1.001 billion worldwide. This result demonstrates once again just how unique the bond between Michael Jackson and his audience continues to be.
This new milestone, however, comes as no surprise: the biopic’s success was evident from its opening weekend, when the film grossed $217 million worldwide, setting the record for the best opening ever for a musical biopic.
But it was above all its staying power in the weeks that followed that turned it into an absolute cinematic phenomenon.
With this result, Michael also surpasses another blockbuster in the genre—*Bohemian Rhapsody*, the film about Freddie Mercury—which grossed $911 million in 2018. He thus becomes the highest-grossing film based on a real person in history.
“The public has turned Michael into a global cultural phenomenon,” said Adam Fogelson, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, as reported by Variety. Director Antoine Fuqua echoed these sentiments, calling the $1 billion milestone “a historic achievement” and a tribute to everyone who worked on the project with the goal of celebrating “one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.”
[📸 Courtesy of Lionsgate / © Glen Wilson]
