‘Michael’ Becomes Lionsgate’s Biggest Film Ever Worldwide

The film, which opened domestically to near $100 million and more than $217 million worldwide during its opening frame in late April, has shown remarkable staying power at the global box office — a feat that few biopics have managed in the modern era. Starring Jaafar Jackson, the nephew of the King of Pop, as Michael Jackson himself, the film drew both fierce curiosity and some controversy in the months leading up to its release.

Directed with kinetic energy and scale, the production became one of the most talked-about films of the year the moment early reactions emerged from test screenings. Critics were divided on the film’s handling of the more complicated chapters of Jackson’s life, but audiences appeared to vote decisively with their wallets, granting the film an exceptional run across domestic and international markets alike.

Lionsgate co-chairman Michael Burns hailed the milestone as a watershed moment for the studio. The result cements Jackson’s ongoing commercial mythology decades after his death and raises fresh questions about the relationship between artistic legacy and box office power in contemporary Hollywood.

The film’s success comes at a pivotal moment for Lionsgate, which has been working to rebuild its theatrical pipeline following the conclusion of the Hunger Games franchise — itself recently revived with the prequel Sunrise on the Reaping scheduled for a November 2026 release. Michael’s performance ensures the studio enters the back half of 2026 on exceptionally strong financial footing.

For Jaafar Jackson, who had relatively little screen experience before landing the role of his late uncle, the film has been a career-defining moment. Awards watchers have already begun circling his performance as a potential contender heading into the 2027 awards season, with industry insiders noting that musical biopics have a strong historical track record at the Oscars.

The film’s global total places it among the rare biopics — alongside Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis — to crack the upper echelon of commercial success, a testament to the enduring fascination with Jackson’s life and music more than fifteen years after his death.