Photo Credit: Lionsgate
Michael approaches $800 million at the global box office; another major milestone that fast approaches Bohemian Rhapsody and Oppenheimer for the title of the biggest biopic of all time.
The musical biopic about the early career and meteoric rise of Michael Jackson has now generated $789 million worldwide and is fast approaching the $800 million mark. That means it should soon surpass 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody ($911 million) to become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.
It has already outsold Universal’s Oppenheimer in several markets; if it surpasses $975 million globally, Michael (a Lionsgate/Universal joint) will be crowned the biggest biopic—musical or otherwise—of all time.
Over the holiday weekend, Michael brought in another $28.5 million overseas, grossing $468 million internationally and $319 million domestically to date.
Now, the last major market to weigh in is Japan, which should push the film over the edge in surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody as a musical biopic sensation. It was #2 in South Korea with $2.3 million in its second week, while Australia earned it another $2.2 million in week #5. France’s fifth weekend showings clocked in at $2.1 million, with Brazil’s fifth weekend adding another $2 million. Mexico grossed $1.8 in its fifth weekend; Germany $1.4 million; Italy $1.3 million; and Spain $1.1 million.
Of note, the film surpassed the lifetime of Oppenheimer three times over in Brazil, and also sped past Fast 7, 8, and 10 to become the second-biggest Universal film of all time within the country. In Mexico, Michael also came out ahead of the lifetime of Oppenheimer.
Even more impressive over this last weekend was Michael vying against the newest entry in the Star Wars franchise, The Mandalorian and Grogu, which opened to $64 million across 51 territories. Michael maintained the top or second spot in several international markets (including South Korea) and raked in over $55.1 million across 84 territories over the Memorial Day weekend. When the film opens in Japan, it will be interesting to see the how well its received in that market, considering Michael Jackson’s global appeal as the King of Pop.