‘Michael’ Shatters Records For Biopics With $97 Million Opening

BreakingBusinessBreaking News‘Michael’ Shatters Records For Biopics With $97 Million OpeningByZachary Folk,Forbes Staff. I cover breaking news.Follow AuthorApr 26, 2026, 01:34pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineThe Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” grossed $97 million at the domestic box office over its opening weekend, according to early estimates reported by the Hollywood trade publications, breaking the record for biggest opening weekend for a biopic and instantly making it one of the year’s biggest openings so far.The Michael Jackson biopic had one of the biggest openings at North American theaters in 2026 so far.WireImageKey Facts“Michael” grossed $97 million at North American theaters, as well as another $120.4 million for a global total of about $217 million—placing it among the biggest debuts of the year so far.It also shattered the record for biggest opening weekend for a music biopic, which was previously held by the N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton” after it grossed $60.2 million over its opening weekend in 2015, as well as the record for biggest general biopic opening, held by “Oppenheimer” after Christopher Nolan’s film about the life of the nuclear physicist opened for $82.4 million in 2023.The massive haul far surpassed expectations—BoxOffice Pro forecast the film to gross somewhere between $65 million and $75 million in its opening weekend.“Michael” is now the second-biggest debut of 2026, surpassing the $80.5 million debut for “Project Hail Mary” but falling short of “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which grossed $131.7 million when opening earlier this month. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.vide...