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"Michael," the Michael Jackson biopic starring the late pop icon's nephew Jaafar Jackson, has officially crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, becoming the first biographical film in history to reach the milestone.
The achievement also makes "Michael" the first Lionsgate release ever to earn more than $1 billion globally. After 12 weekends in theaters, the film had collected approximately $371.8 million in the United States and Canada and $629.3 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to roughly $1.001 billion.
"Michael" is only the second movie released in 2026 to join the billion-dollar club, following "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie."
The film's official social media account celebrated the milestone by thanking "every fan who bought a ticket, sang along, dressed up, and returned to the big screen again and again."
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, "Michael" follows Jackson's rise from childhood stardom with the Jackson 5 to his emergence as one of the most commercially successful solo artists in music history. The film concludes during Jackson's 1988 "Bad" World Tour, leaving later periods of his life open for a potential continuation.
Jaafar Jackson, the son of Michael Jackson's older brother Jermaine Jackson, makes his feature-film acting debut as his uncle. His performance recreates Jackson's distinctive voice, choreography and stage presence, while the musical sequences combine original recordings with vocals from Jaafar and Juliano Valdi, who portrays Jackson as a child.
The supporting cast includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Miles Teller as attorney and manager John Branca, Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe and Larenz Tate as Motown founder Berry Gordy. Mike Myers also appears as CBS Records executive Walter Yetnikoff.
Released April 24, "Michael" was produced with the cooperation of the Jackson estate. Its emphasis on Jackson's music and recreated performances helped turn the film into an international theatrical event, even as critics debated its family-approved treatment of the singer's life and its decision to end before the allegations that later affected his legacy.
Before "Michael," the highest-grossing biographical films included Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and the Freddie Mercury film "Bohemian Rhapsody," neither of which reached $1 billion worldwide. "Michael" is now the first movie in the genre to cross that threshold.
The result is particularly significant for Lionsgate, whose biggest franchises include "The Hunger Games," "John Wick" and "Twilight," but which had never previously released a billion-dollar film.
For Jaafar Jackson, the milestone also marks an extraordinary screen debut. His first feature-film performance has now anchored one of 2026's biggest theatrical successes—and the highest-grossing biopic in box-office history.
Sources: Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
