New Michael Jackson Movie Projected To Set Major Box Office Record, Beating 8-Year-Old Oscar-Winning Hit

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Michael is prepared to go platinum at the box office.

Coming to theaters on April 24th is Michael, a new biopic about the life of Michael Jackson. Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, plays the iconic singer in the film. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the movie also features Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller as Michael’s manager, John Branca. It’s expected to be a major release.

According to Deadline, initial estimates suggest Michael will earn between $55 and $60 million during its first weekend in theaters. Even at the lower end of that range, it would be a significant achievement, giving it the second-highest opening weekend ever for a music biopic. It would surpass the $51.5 million debut of the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody, which ultimately became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, earning over $910.8 million worldwide.

Currently, Straight Outta Compton from 2015 holds the record with $60.2 million. It’s still uncertain whether Michael, Jaafar Jackson’s first movie, will eventually earn more than Bohemian Rhapsody or Straight Outta Compton. Bohemian Rhapsody, released in 2018 and winning four Oscars (including Best Actor for Rami Malek), was a surprising success for the genre. It made almost $1 billion, significantly more than the next highest-earning music biopic, Elvis, starring Austin Butler.

Here’s a look at how the five most successful movies about musicians have performed at the box office:

Title Domestic Debut Worldwide Gross
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) $51.5 million $910.8 million
Elvis (2022) $31.2 million $288.7 million
Straight Outta Compton (2015) $60.2 million $201.6 million
Rocketman (2019) $25.7 million $195.3 million
Walk the Line (2005) $22.3 million $186.8 million

If Michael opens with $60 million and maintains similar staying power to Bohemian Rhapsody (which only dropped 38.9% in its second weekend, much better than the 56.2% drop seen by Straight Outta Compton), it could earn over $1 billion worldwide, becoming the first musical biopic to reach that level of success.

The film is on track to easily surpass its $155 million budget. However, it doesn’t need to make that much to be considered successful. Because Lionsgate often funds movies through advance international sales, the usual rule of thumb – that a film needs to earn two and a half times its budget to break even – doesn’t apply in this case. Therefore, the exact amount the movie needs to earn to be profitable is unclear.

The movie is generating a lot of excitement, especially because it will showcase many of Michael Jackson’s most popular songs like “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” and “Beat It.” However, some controversy surrounding the project might keep it from being as successful as it could be.

The upcoming film about Michael Jackson is already facing potential backlash. Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse after his death in 2009, allegations highlighted in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland. While it’s unclear how the movie addresses these claims, Jackson’s daughter, Paris, criticized an early version of the script in September 2025, calling it overly softened. If the film doesn’t fully address the allegations, as Paris suggests, it could face significant controversy and may not be as successful as the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

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2026-04-02 21:29