Michael Jackson Biopic Becomes First Biographical Film to Pass $1 Billion Worldwide
“Michael,” the Michael Jackson biographical film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson, has surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Industry coverage identifies it as the first biographical film to reach that benchmark and the first Lionsgate release to earn $1 billion globally. The milestone reflects unusually strong international interest, including a later release in Japan that helped push the total past $1 billion. The film also surpassed “Oppenheimer” in the commonly used box-office ranking for highest-grossing biographical films. Its financial success has not produced the same level of agreement about its quality or historical completeness. Audiences have rated the film overwhelmingly positively, while many professional critics argue that it functions more as a celebration of Jackson’s performances than a full examination of his life. The film ends during the 1988 “Bad” tour and does not portray the major allegations and controversies that emerged during the following decades.