NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� the big-budget Michael Jackson spectacle, shrugged off bad reviews and a troubled production to launch with $97 million in U.S. and Canada theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, shattering a record debut for music biopics.
A highly authorized portrayal of the King of Pop, , Lionsgate鈥檚 鈥淢ichael鈥� far surpassed previous biopic top performers like 鈥淪traight Outta Compton鈥� (a $60.2 million debut in 2015) and 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody鈥� ($51 million in 2018).
International sales were also strong. 鈥淢ichael鈥� collected $120.4 million overseas, to give it a $217.4 million global opening 鈥� a new high for a music biopic. Universal picked up distribution in most international markets.
A few weeks back, estimates for 鈥淢ichael鈥� were closer to $50 million. Going into the weekend, the studio estimated closer to $70 million. But it wildly overperformed.
“From the beginning, all of the signals were that something like this was possible,” said Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate chairman. 鈥淲e were seeing massive engagement with every conceivable audience segment that you could identify.鈥�
Even in the lucrative market of music biopics, 鈥淢ichael鈥� was an audacious bet by Lionsgate on an extraordinarily popular but controversial figure. The reputation of Jackson, at the age of 50, has been repeatedly tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse of children. Jackson and his estate have maintained his innocence, though the pop star acknowledged sharing a bedroom with other people鈥檚 children. He was acquitted in his sole criminal trial in 2005.
Some Jackson family members opposed the film. Janet Jackson was uninvolved and doesn鈥檛 appear in it. Jackson鈥檚 daughter, Paris, called it 鈥渇antasy land.鈥� But three years after the 2009 documentary about Jackson鈥檚 alleged sexual abuse of children, 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody鈥� producer Graham King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson鈥檚 nephew, Jaafar Jackson,
鈥淢ichael鈥� had an unusually rocky production. After shooting was completed, producers realized they had made a costly mistake. The third act focused on the accusations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $23 million to in a 1994 settlement. The terms of that settlement barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie.
A huge chunk of the film had to be cut. Reshoots for as much as $50 million were done at the estate鈥檚 expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.
鈥淚 would take issue with the idea that we as a studio or as filmmakers were running around in a panic,” said Fogelson. 鈥淚t was definitely a unique and challenging circumstance to figure out how to work through. But it created an opportunity to tell more story than any one film could possibly contain.鈥�
Yet as bad as things once looked for 鈥淢ichael,鈥� the movie turned into a huge hit. The film鈥檚 total production cost came close to $200 million. To defray costs, Lionsgate sold international distribution rights to Universal. A sequel is in development. A third film after that, Fogelson said, is 鈥渘ot inconceivable.鈥�
鈥淭he audience spoke loud and clear,” Fogelson said. 鈥淭he portion of Michael’s life that this story tells couldn’t have gotten into those allegations because the allegations themselves hadn’t happened in the period this movie existed. I think the audience is judging it on those terms. We’ll see what happens as we move into the possibility of subsequent films.鈥�
Critics slammed the film for glossing over some of the less convenient aspects of Jackson鈥檚 life. It scored a paltry 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences were far more enthusiastic. 鈥淢ichael鈥� earned an 鈥淎-鈥� CinemaScore.
鈥淚t鈥檚 only human nature to enjoy yourself at the movie theater,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore. 鈥淭he movie was perfectly positioned ahead of the start of the summer movie season which launches later this week with the 鈥楾he Devil Wears Prada 2鈥� that is also poised to outpace even the most generous opening weekend projections.鈥�
The opening for 鈥淢ichael鈥� added to a strong spring for Hollywood boosted by box-office hits like Amazon MGM鈥檚 and Universal鈥檚 After three weeks atop the box office, the 鈥淢ario鈥� sequel slid to second place, with $21.2 million. In four weeks, it鈥檚 collected $386.5 million domestically and $445 million internationally.
Meanwhile, 鈥淧roject Hail Mary鈥� surged past $600 million worldwide in its sixth weekend of release. The film’s total haul for Amazon MGM stands at $305.3 million domestic and $613.3 million globally.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. 鈥淢ichael,鈥� $97 million.
2. 鈥淭he Super Mario Galaxy Movie,鈥� $21.2 million.
3. 鈥淧roject Hail Mary,鈥� $13.2 million.
4. 鈥淟ee Cronin’s The Mummy,鈥� $5.6 million.
5. 鈥淭he Drama,鈥� $2.6 million.
6. 鈥淗oppers,鈥� $1.9 million.
7. 鈥淵ou, Me & Tuscany,鈥� $1.5 million.
8. 鈥淥ver Your Dead Body,鈥� $1.4 million.
9. 鈥淢other Mary,鈥� $1.2 million.
10. 鈥淎merican Youngboy,鈥� $1.2 million.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
