Michael Jackson Fans to Critics: 'Beat It' As Biopic Smashes Box Office Records With $200M Global Opening as Fans Turn Theaters into Concerts
- Black Press Media USA
- 24 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Stacy M. Brown Senior Global Correspondent
“Michael” opened April 24 to sold-out theaters and a global box office surge topping $200 million, as audiences across the country and overseas transformed screenings into full-throated celebrations of the King of Pop.
Lionsgate confirmed the film’s worldwide total based on early ticket sales and projections through opening weekend, a figure that places the film among the strongest debuts for a non-sequel in recent years.
From New York to Los Angeles and across international markets, theaters were filled with fans wearing fedoras, sequined jackets, and single gloves. Michael Jackson look-alikes posed for photos in lobbies while crowds inside auditoriums sang along, danced in aisles, and shouted at the screen. What unfolded inside theaters matched reports from industry observers who described screenings as closer to live events than traditional moviegoing.
The numbers followed the energy.
Lionsgate, in association with Universal Pictures International, reported that the film will take in an estimated $217.4 million worldwide through Sunday, of which an estimated $97 million came from domestic theaters and $120.4 million was from international markets.
Driven by tremendous word of mouth, the film is a smash hit with audiences everywhere, earning a 97% Popcornmeter score—an all-time best rating for any music biopic—along with an A-minus CinemaScore. The film is playing in 3,955 locations domestically, with 1700 IMAX and other PLF locations. The film is playing simultaneously in 82 total markets internationally. Of the reported gross, IMAX screens accounted for $24.4 million of the worldwide total.
According to PostTrak, the overall audience this weekend in North America was 61% female and 66% 25+.
Michael set the following records this weekend:
Domestically, Michael is now the biggest opening weekend of all time for any biopic (musical or otherwise)
Domestically, Michael notched the biggest opening weekend of 2026 for an original, non-franchise, non-superhero movie
Domestically, Michael is the sixth-biggest opening of all time for Lionsgate (behind only first four Hunger Games films and Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II)
Worldwide, Michael is the biggest opening weekend of all time for any musical biopic
In international markets, Michael set new marks for the biggest opening weekend for a musical biopic in 63 markets, including UK, Germany, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Netherlands, and South Asia.
Audience response has been decisive. Moviegoers handed the film an A-minus CinemaScore grade, while audience ratings climbed into the mid-to-high 90 percent range on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics moved in the opposite direction, with reviews falling below 40 percent positive.
That divide did little to slow ticket sales. Analysts noted that criticism of the film’s narrative choices—particularly its decision to end before the allegations that later surrounded Jackson—drew added attention from fans and casual moviegoers alike.
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson in his first major role, brings together a cast that includes Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller. Domingo’s portrayal of Joseph Jackson sparked strong reactions inside theaters, with audiences loudly responding to his character’s treatment of a young Michael. Jaafar Jackson’s performance drew cheers throughout, with viewers applauding signature dance moves and musical recreations.
Backed by a production budget near $200 million and an extensive marketing campaign that exceeded $50 million in North America alone, the film was designed to tap into nostalgia tied to Jackson’s music and global reach. Promotional efforts included outreach to historically Black colleges and universities and a focus on younger audiences discovering Jackson’s story for the first time.
Early data shows that strategy paying off. Black moviegoers led opening weekend attendance at 38 percent, followed by Latino and Hispanic audiences at 26 percent and white audiences at 24 percent, with women making up a majority of ticket buyers.
The film has already triggered renewed interest in Jackson’s music catalog, with streaming numbers rising and ticket sales increasing for the Broadway production “MJ,” which continues to tour nationally.
“If you give audiences what they want, they will come,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in crediting audiences for the turnout.
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