‘Michael’ Makes History as Second Music Biopic to Pass $500 Million Dollars

*The box office returns for the weekend of May 8, 2026, are in, and “Michael” has hit another major milestone. The Michael Jackson biopic starring Jaafar Jackson has now grossed $570 million at the worldwide box office.

That number puts “Michael” in rare company. It is only the second music biopic in history ever to cross the 500-million-dollar mark. The only film ahead of it? “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the Queen biopic that finished its run with a staggering 903.6 million dollars worldwide.

But domestically? The King of Pop has already dethroned the Queen.

Domestic crown secured

In the United States, “Michael” has made 238.9 million dollars. “Bohemian Rhapsody” finished its domestic run at 216.7 million dollars. That means “Michael” is now the number one music biopic of all time stateside.

The film opened on April 24, 2026, and never looked back. Its opening weekend of 97 million dollars domestically nearly doubled “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” 51-million-dollar debut. The worldwide opening weekend was equally dominant: 217 million dollars for “Michael” compared to 124 million dollars for the Queen film.

Both films share a producer, Graham King, who has openly compared the two projects and the cultural impact of Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. He probably does not mind watching his own movies battle for the top spot.

Can “Michael” catch “Bohemian Rhapsody” worldwide?

The worldwide race is closer but not over. “Bohemian Rhapsody” finished with a mind-blowing $903.6 million dollars globally. “Michael” is at $570 million dollars and climbing.

Here is why the Jackson biopic still has a shot. The film has yet to open in South Korea and Japan, two major international markets. It also suffered a relatively small 36 percent drop in audience between its second and third weekends, which suggests strong word-of-mouth and repeat viewings.

If “Michael” continues at this pace, it could seriously challenge “Bohemian Rhapsody” before its run ends. Either way, the film is already a massive financial success.

Profitable and then some

The basic rule of thumb in Hollywood is that a movie needs to make back double its budget — or even 2.5 times its budget — to turn a profit. “Michael” had a hefty budget of 155 million dollars. That price tag was high in part because the cast and crew had to throw out the original ending, which would have touched on the sexual abuse allegations against the singer, and shoot a new one.

But with 570 million dollars worldwide and counting, “Michael” has cleared that profitability benchmark and then some. The film is a hit by any measure.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” takes the weekend crown

As impressive as “Michael’s” run has been, it only came in third place this weekend. The number one spot went to “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which continued its reign over Mother’s Day weekend. The sequel has now made 144.8 million dollars domestically and 433.2 million dollars worldwide, easily surpassing the 2006 original without adjusting for inflation. With a budget of 100 million dollars, it is a huge hit.

Second place went to “Mortal Kombat II,” the brand-new release that made 40 million dollars domestically and 63 million dollars worldwide. It will need to keep fighting to turn a profit on its 80 million dollar budget, though it is already nipping at the heels of the 2021 “Mortal Kombat” movie, which made 84 million dollars total.

Other hits and the road ahead

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is still earning in its sixth weekend, bringing its worldwide box office total to 941.2 million dollars. It remains the odds-on favorite to be the first movie of the year to cross the billion dollar threshold. “Project Hail Mary” is also still trucking at 655.7 million dollars after seven weekends.

On the smaller side, the horror movie “Hokum” cost just 5 million dollars to make and has taken in 14.2 million dollars worldwide — a tidy profit.

But the real story remains “Michael.” It is already the biggest music biopic in American history. Whether it can catch “Bohemian Rhapsody” worldwide is now the only question left unanswered.