Michael (2026), the Antoine Fuqua-directed Michael Jackson biopic starring Jaafar Jackson, cost $155–$200 million, per ComingSoon.net. Box Office Mojo lists $372.3 million domestic and $1.028 billion worldwide as its finished totals. According to Wikipedia, it premiered April 10, 2026 in Berlin, as detailed in the film's Wikipedia overview. It opened April 22 in the UK through Universal and April 24 in the US through Lionsgate.
Table of Contents
- What did Michael cost to make?
- How big was the opening?
- What are the final domestic and worldwide earnings?
- What records did Michael set?
- Why do reported totals differ?
What did Michael cost to make?
Lionsgate greenlit the film at $155 million. June 2025 reshoots revised the third act. ComingSoon.net reports the cost rose to $155–$200 million, as explained in its report on the budget and reshoots.
That range shapes expectations. Big budgets demand big ticket sales. Readers should weigh cost against final gross.
How big was the opening?
The Wall Street Journal reports an opening of about $97 million domestic. Worldwide, it took $217–$218.8 million.
Studio figures and Comscore called it the biggest-ever opening for a biopic. A record opening signals strong initial demand. It gave the film momentum for a long run.
What are the final domestic and worldwide earnings?
MJVibe, citing Box Office Mojo, lists the finished domestic run at $372,303,388, detailed in its report on the final global run. Worldwide, the total reached $1,028,706,645. That splits as $372.3 million domestic plus $656.4 million international.
After 12 weekends, Lionsgate and Universal confirmed $1.001 billion. TechTimes, citing Variety, gave $371.8 million domestic and $629.8 million international. The studios called it the first $1 billion biopic and Lionsgate's top release ever.
What records did Michael set?
Musically reports Michael passed Oppenheimer's $975.8 million as the highest-grossing biopic, noted in its milestone coverage. It also took the music-biopic crown from Bohemian Rhapsody.
It beat The Hunger Games: Catching Fire's $865 million as Lionsgate's prior record. These titles mark different benchmarks. Each shows the scale of Michael's run.
- Oppenheimer at about $975.8M: prior top biopic
- Bohemian Rhapsody: prior top music biopic
- Catching Fire at $865M: prior Lionsgate record
Why do reported totals differ?
Music Business Worldwide notes published totals vary by date and tracker. The range runs from $849 million to $1.028 billion. Gross is not profit.
Exhibitors retain about half of ticket sales. Marketing costs and the Lionsgate/Universal/estate split are undisclosed. Readers should not read the $1.028 billion as net earnings.