Michael Jackson Biopic Moonwalks Back To No. 1 At The Box Office, Surging Past Two Newer Hits

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Michael is bringing the house down during its fourth weekend in theaters.

Despite receiving poor reviews – a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – and criticism for portraying Michael Jackson in a largely positive light without addressing serious abuse allegations, the biopic has been a huge commercial success. It’s only the second musical biopic ever to earn over $600 million worldwide (after 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody) and is on track to potentially become the first to reach $1 billion.

Lionsgate predicts that the movie Michael will earn between $25 and $28 million this weekend, bringing its total domestic earnings to date to a level that will likely return it to the top spot at the box office. It had previously fallen to number two after The Devil Wears Prada 2 and then to number three due to competition from both The Devil Wears Prada and Mortal Kombat II.

The film Michael, released in 2026, has regained the top spot, surpassing two newer releases. It achieved this with a very small drop in viewership – between 26% and 34% – from the previous week. While Michael is currently number one, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is still performing well in second place, projected to earn $20 million (according to Variety), though it experienced a 52% decrease in viewers during its third weekend.

The Meryl Streep movie is expected to reach $175 million domestically this weekend, making it only the fourth film this year to do so. While it aimed to equal the record held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie for consecutive weeks at number one, it fell short. The Super Mario Bros. Movie still holds the title of the longest-running number one film domestically this year, having stayed at the top for three weeks.

Despite a strong start, Mortal Kombat II is seeing a significant drop in ticket sales, falling to fourth place with an estimated $12.7 million this weekend – a decrease of about 66% from its opening. Though a bit slower than anticipated, the film is still expected to earn back its $80 million production budget by the end of the weekend and could ultimately prove profitable.

The new horror film Obsession is making a splash, landing at No. 3 in the charts with $14.5 million in ticket sales. Although it didn’t quite reach the top spot held by The Devil Wears Prada and Michael, it’s already a financial success. Made with a budget of only $1 million, Obsession has far exceeded its $2.5 million break-even point.

Despite strong competition, Michael has become the first film in six months to return to the top spot at the domestic box office. The last time a movie did this was with Zootopia 2, which regained the No. 1 position during its third weekend after briefly falling to second place behind Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Before that, the 2025 hit Weapons was briefly knocked from the top spot by a sing-along version of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters during that film’s third weekend.

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2026-05-16 19:20