Michael Jackson’s Screen Story Makes Billion-Dollar History
Michael Jackson spent his career filling stadiums around the world. Now, a film about his rise to fame has brought that global appeal into cinemas. Michael, starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson, has earned approximately $1.029 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing biographical film in history.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film has overtaken both Bohemian Rhapsody and Oppenheimer. It is also the first biopic to cross the billion-dollar mark—a milestone usually associated with superhero adventures, animated franchises and blockbuster sequels.
Recent reports describe its worldwide theatrical run as complete. Its earnings include approximately $372.3 million from the United States and Canada and $656.4 million from international markets.
That overseas figure tells an important part of the story. Nearly 64 percent of the film’s ticket sales came from outside North America, giving its box-office success a global reach that echoes Jackson’s music career.
At the centre of the film is a family connection that makes the casting especially interesting. Jaafar Jackson, the son of Michael’s brother Jermaine Jackson, portrays his late uncle in his acting debut.
His first major screen role required him to recreate the voice, movements and stage presence of one of the most recognizable performers in entertainment.
For Jaafar, preparing for the role involved more than learning choreography. He has spoken about studying Michael’s personal writings, including journals, poems and affirmations, to better understand the person behind the performances.
He also adopted the practice of placing affirmations on walls and mirrors as part of his preparation.
The Michael Jackson biopic, starring Jaafar Jackson, has earned approximately $1.029 billion worldwide and become the highest-grossing biopic ever.
The film follows Michael’s early years as the young lead singer of The Jackson 5, before turning to his ambitions as a solo performer. Alongside the musical journey, it brings his family into the story, with Colman Domingo playing Joe Jackson and Nia Long portraying Katherine Jackson.
There is another connection to music-biopic history behind the camera. Producer Graham King, who helped bring Freddie Mercury’s story to cinemas through Bohemian Rhapsody, is also among the producers of Michael. This time, the film has surpassed the worldwide earnings of that earlier hit.
Signs of strong audience interest appeared months before release. Lionsgate said the first teaser attracted 116.2 million views worldwide within 24 hours, citing figures from audience measurement company WaveMetrix.
The studio described it as its biggest first-day trailer launch and a record debut for a music-biopic trailer.
That attention carried into cinemas. Opening in North America on April 24, 2026, Michael collected approximately $97.2 million domestically during its first weekend. Its estimated worldwide opening reached $217.4 million, setting a new opening record for a music biopic.
The opening established its commercial strength. The months that followed took it into territory no biopic had reached before: more than a billion dollars in worldwide ticket sales, with Jackson’s nephew leading the film that now holds the genre’s biggest box-office record.
