The film has now earned $204 million in the United States and Canada, overtaking the domestic total reached by the Queen centered hit starring Rami Malek.
The achievement marks another major commercial victory for Lionsgate’s ambitious Michael Jackson drama, which has continued drawing audiences weeks after its April release.
‘Michael’ Pushes Past a Long Standing Box Office Benchmark
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, “Michael” traces Michael Jackson from his childhood years in the Jackson 5 through the global explosion of “Thriller” and the launch of the “Bad” era.
The film stars Jaafar Jackson in his feature debut as his famous uncle, alongside Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Miles Teller. While critics were sharply divided over the picture’s treatment of Jackson’s controversies, audiences continued to show up in large numbers throughout its theatrical run.
The domestic milestone is especially notable because “Bohemian Rhapsody” spent years as the defining commercial success story for the modern music biopic. The 2018 movie opened to stronger than expected numbers before steadily expanding into a long running theatrical phenomenon, eventually crossing the $200 million mark in North America after weeks of sustained momentum.
Its box office endurance helped reshape studio interest in musician centered dramas and sparked a wave of large scale biographical projects focused on iconic recording artists.
“Michael” arrived under very different circumstances. Long before release, the production drew attention for its ballooning budget, extensive rewrites and reshoots connected to the removal of references to the 1993 abuse allegations against Jackson.
Reports surrounding the restructuring of the film’s third act became part of the public conversation months before audiences saw the finished version. Even so, the picture opened strongly in late April and maintained steady business through repeat viewings and international turnout.
The movie has now grossed $488 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest theatrical releases of 2026 so far. Much of that performance has been fueled by overseas markets, where Jackson’s music has continued to maintain enormous cross generational appeal decades after his peak commercial years.