Following in the footsteps of Queen, Elton John and Elvis, the King of Pop has made his way to the big screen. Lionsgate released Michael on April 24, delivering one of the most anticipated musical biopics in recent memory. With that kind of hype behind it – as well as Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, taking on the starring role – there were sky-high expectations for the film’s box office prospects.

Here is a breakdown of how Michael performed at the box office this past weekend:

Michael Box Office

Michael made an estimated $97 million at the box office between April 24 and April 26 – the highest-grossing opening weekend ever by a music biopic. The previous record belonged to the 2015 N.W.A. film, Straight Outta Compton, at $60.2 million. The Freddie Mercury and Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, opened to $51.0 million domestically in November 2019, while 2022’s Elvis made $31.2 million in its opening weekend. Initial pre-release tracking had Michael projected to open between $50 million and $60 million.

According to Deadline and Variety, Michael made $12.8 million in North American previews – $3.8 million from early access screenings on Wednesday and $9.0 million from traditional opening Thursday showtimes. Those totals count towards the film’s $39.5 million Friday gross. Michael now owns the No. 2 opening weekend of 2026 so far, trailing only The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Looking beyond the United States and Canada, Michael reeled in an additional $120.4 million overseas. In total, the film grossed $217.4 million worldwide over its opening weekend. Bohemian Rhapsody is the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time at $903.6 million worldwide, followed by Elvis at $288.7 million, now Michael, then Straight Outta Compton at $201.6 million. Michael has already surpassed the lifetime worldwide grosses of Rocketman, Walk the Line, Bob Marley: One Love, A Complete Unknown and Ray.

Box Office Results (April 24-26, 2026)

Here is the top five at the domestic box office from this past weekend:

1. Michael – $97.0 million
   • Domestic Gross to Date: $97.0 million (1 week)
2. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – $21.2 million
   • Domestic Gross to Date: $384 million (4 weeks)
3. Project Hail Mary – $13.2 million
   • Domestic Gross to Date: $305 million (6 weeks)
4. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy – $5.6 million
   • Domestic Gross to Date: $23.5 million (2 weeks)
5. The Drama – $2.6 million
   • Domestic Gross to Date: $44.8 million (4 weeks)

Here is the top five at the worldwide box office from this past weekend:

1. Michael – $217.4 million
   • Worldwide Gross to Date: $217.4 million (1 week)
2. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – $57.9 million
   • Worldwide Gross to Date: $831.5 million (4 weeks)
3. Project Hail Mary – $25.4 million
   • Worldwide Gross to Date: $613 million (6 weeks)
4. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy – $18.0 million
   • Worldwide Gross to Date: $65.5 million (2 weeks)
5. The Drama – $2.6 million
   • Worldwide Gross to Date: $100 million (4 weeks)