This means that it smashes the previous record set by 2015 flick Straight Outta Compton, a film which documented the rise and fall of hip-group, N.W.A. This biopic racked in a strong $60 million, but shows the strength of the Jackson franchise, which made over triple that figure.
It also towers above other popular biopics including 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which opened with $51 million, before securing over $900m by the end of its run.
Michael has also taken the second biggest debut of the year, behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
“The movie has audiences on their feet singing and dancing,” says David A. Gross, the publisher of newsletter FranchiseRe.
Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, portrays his uncle in the film which charts the singer’s early days in the Jackson 5 to becoming one of the biggest entertainers on the planet.
The film has received fairly mixed reviews, with the majority of fans rating the flick more favourably than critics.
Jackson’s compilation album The Essential re-entered the Top 5 last week thanks to the release of the biopic. Can he potentially add anymore records to the Top 40 offering by Friday?
Find out whether it could happen in this week’s Albums Chart First Look at 5:45pm here.
Article image: Getty/Leon Bennett