Michael<\/a>,\u201d a biopic from Lionsgate about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, arrived in theaters as an instant sensation with $97 million domestically and $217 million globally in its first weekend of release. These ticket sales rank as the best start of all time for a biopic, smashing the record set by 2015\u2019s \u201cStraight Outta Compton\u201d ($60 million). And they tower above 2018\u2019s \u201cBohemian Rhapsody,\u201d which opened to $51 million before obliterating expectations with $910 million worldwide by the end of its run. \u201cMichael\u201d also notched the second-biggest debut of the year behind April\u2019s sequel \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie\u201d ($131 million).<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cMichael\u201d landed on tracking a month ago with estimates of $50 million to $60 million, but expectations continued to rise and rise in the lead-up to its release. The movie is rocking the box office despite the mostly terrible reviews (only 38% of which were positive on Rotten Tomatoes). Audiences, however, strongly disagreed with the majority of critics and embraced \u201cMichael\u201d with an \u201cA-\u201d grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Ticket buyers were 61% female, while 66% were 25 years or older, according to PostTrak.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cYou don\u2019t deliver this number unless you\u2019re seeing huge numbers across every conceivable demographic,\u201d says Lionsgate\u2019s motion picture chair Adam Fogelson. \u201cThey\u2019re clearly having a blast, and that bodes well for a lovely multiple.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAntoine Fuqua directed \u201cMichael,\u201d which charts the singer\u2019s early days in the Jackson 5 to becoming one of the biggest entertainers on the planet. Jaafar Jackson, the singer\u2019s real-life nephew, portrays Michael Jackson in his acting debut, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long as parents, Joe and Katherine. Film reviewers have complained that \u201cMichael\u201d takes a sanitized look at Jackson\u2019s life because it doesn\u2019t include the child sexual abuse allegations that were leveled against the singer later in his career. <\/p>\n
\n\tThat wasn\u2019t always the plan for \u201cMichael.\u201d Initially, the screenplay had dramatized a 1993 child molestation lawsuit against Jackson. But those sequences had to be removed after producers discovered a clause in the settlement with the young accuser that barred the depiction or mention of him in film or television. After a major overhaul of the third act, the film ends during the Bad tour in 1988. Lionsgate is expected to greenlight (at least) one more film about Jackson\u2019s life. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cMichael\u201d carries a price tag near $200 million, making it one of the most expensive biopics of all time. Those costs were split by Lionsgate, Universal (which is distributing the film internationally) and the Michael Jackson estate. Despite the behind-the-scenes headaches, the movie is already proving to be worth the hefty price tag. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cMichael\u201d is the biggest hit for Lionsgate in more than a decade, since 2015\u2019s \u201cThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay \u2013 Part 2\u201d ($102 million debut). If ticket sales surpass $700 million worldwide, as expected, \u201cMichael\u201d will land among the studio\u2019s biggest films of all time, with the top three spots belonging to 2013\u2019s \u201cThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire\u201d ($865 million globally), 2012\u2019s \u201cTwilight: Breaking Dawn \u2013 Part 2\u201d ($848 million) and 2014\u2019s \u201cThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay \u2013 Part 1\u201d ($759 million). After a brutal rough patch in 2024, with a string of flops including \u201cBorderlands,\u201d a reboot of \u201cThe Crow\u201d and \u201cWonder\u201d prequel \u201cWhite Bird,\u201d Lionsgate\u2019s box office fortunes have been on the upswing. Recent wins include \u201cNow You See Me, Now You Don\u2019t,\u201d \u201cThe Housemaid\u201d and \u201cThe Long Walk.\u201d <\/p>\n
\n\tThere\u2019s been no shortage of music biopics, especially since the pandemic. Amy Winehouse (\u201cBack to Black\u201d), Bob Dylan (\u201cA Complete Unknown\u201d), Bob Marley (\u201cOne Love\u201d), Bruce Springsteen (\u201cDeliver Me From Nowhere\u201d) and Elvis Presley (\u201cElvis\u201d) are among the stars whose stories have been immortalized on screen to varying degrees of box office success. Like \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u201d and \u201cElvis\u201d before it, \u201cMichael\u201d scored with audiences by leaning heavily on recreating thrilling concert sequences. Those electrifying scenes \u2014 musical numbers in \u201cMichael\u201d include \u201cBillie Jean,\u201d \u201cThriller\u201d and \u201cBeat It\u201d \u2014 made the film a draw in Imax and other premium large formats. Imax accounted for $13.8 million, or roughly 14% of North American ticket sales, and $24.5 million globally, ranking as the company\u2019s biggest start for a musical biopic.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe movie has audiences on their feet singing and dancing,\u201d says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. He notes that critics feel the film \u201cavoids the complicated parts of the performer\u2019s life.\u201d In terms of moviegoers, however, it\u2019s \u201cplaying as a feel good, nostalgic appreciation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAs this weekend\u2019s only major release, \u201cMichael\u201d towered over North American charts. Reigning champ \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie\u201d slid to second place after three weekends in the No. 1 spot. Universal\u2019s animated sequel about the beloved Nintendo characters has added $21.2 million from 3,732 theaters, boosting revenues to $384 million domestically and more than $800 million globally.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d was No. 3 with $13.2 million from 3,510 locations, a remarkable tally for a film in its sixth weekend of release. So far, the space epic, starring Ryan Gosling, has generated a mighty $305 million in North America and $613 million worldwide.<\/p>\n
\n\tElsewhere, A24\u2019s thriller \u201cMother Mary,\u201d starring Anne Hathaway as a pop star on the eve of a comeback, earned $1.3 million while expanding to 1,103 theaters. After playing on five screens last weekend, \u201cMother Mary\u201d has generated a so-so $1.4 million to date. And \u201cLorne,\u201d a documentary about small-screen icon Lorne Michaels, struggled to break out with $70,000 from 248 theaters. The film, directed by Morgan Neville and distributed by Focus Features, has collected $426,000 while playing in limited release.<\/p>\n
\n\tMovie theater owners are finally feeling optimistic, given the string of hits from February\u2019s \u201cScream 7\u201d to early spring\u2019s blockbusters \u201cProject Hail Mary\u201d and \u201cSuper Mario\u201d and A24\u2019s arthouse breakout \u201cThe Drama.\u201d Overall revenues are 15% ahead of the same point in 2025, according to Comscore \u2014 a percentage that\u2019s dropped from a few weeks ago when ticket sales were 23% above last year. However, the summer season should start strong with next weekend\u2019s \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2,\u201d followed in May by the Warner Bros. action sequel \u201cMortal Kombat 2\u201d and the \u201cStar Wars\u201d spinoff \u201cThe Mandalorian and Grogu.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBuilding on the momentum of global hits like\u00a0\u2018Project Hail Mary\u2019\u00a0and\u00a0\u2018The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,\u2019\u00a0this weekend,\u00a0Michael\u00a0is proving yet again that audiences show up for compelling stories on the big screen,\u201d said Michael O\u2019Leary, head of the exhibition industry\u2019s trade organization Cinema United. \u201cMovie fan enthusiasm will continue to grow next weekend when\u00a0\u2018The Devil Wears Prada 2\u2019\u00a0hits theaters worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a new box office king. \u201cMichael,\u201d a biopic from Lionsgate about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[49,48,75,17234,341],"class_list":["post-630259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-michael","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}