‘Michael’ Surpasses ‘Oppenheimer’ as Highest-Grossing Biopic With $977 Million Worldwide
“Michael” has grossed $977 million at the worldwide box office, surpassing “Oppenheimer” as the highest-grossing biopic of all time.
Director Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” was the previous record-holder in terms of movies based on real people with $975 million globally, a remarkable total for an R-rated historical drama that’s nearly three hours long. “Michael” already ranked as the biggest musical biopic of all time, surpassing 2018’s Queen sensation “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which generated $911 million worldwide.
“Michael,” distributed by Lionsgate in the U.S. and Universal in international markets, has grossed $607.2 million overseas and $370.2 million domestically since April. The movie opened to $97 million domestically and $217 million globally, shattering the opening record for musical biopics set by 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton” ($60 million). Driven by word of mouth and repeat viewings, “Michael” remained a box office powerhouse into the competitive summer moviegoing season.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” chronicles the performer’s journey from the Jackson 5 to his status as the King of Pop. Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s real-life nephew, portrays Michael Jackson in his acting debut, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long as parents, Joe and Katherine. Film critics have complained that “Michael” takes a sanitized look at Jackson’s life because it doesn’t include the child sexual abuse allegations that were leveled against the singer later in his career. Since “Michael” omits the most controversial aspects of Jackson’s life, Lionsgate was able to lean into the film’s crowd-pleasing elements in marketing materials, including meticulous re-creations of concert performances and music videos.
Among other records, “Michael” is Lionsgate’s highest-grossing film of all time, surpassing 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” ($865 million, not adjusted for inflation). The studio is expected to greenlight at least one more film about Jackson’s life.