‘Michael’ breaks record as highest-grossing biopic of all time with $977 million in earnings

The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has officially made history, becoming the highest-grossing biographical film ever after surpassing Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer at the global box office. The film has now generated $977 million worldwide, ending Oppenheimer’s three-year reign as the most commercially successful biopic ever made.

The achievement caps off a trajectory that began building weeks ago. The movie crossed the $800 million mark in late May, putting it firmly on track to overtake Oppenheimer’s $952 million global gross.

Oppenheimer, released in 2023 and led by Cillian Murphy’s acclaimed portrayal of the physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb, had set an extraordinarily high bar, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and redefining what a serious biographical drama could earn commercially.

Michael’s path there came fast. The film opened with $217 million globally in its first week in April, $97 million domestically and $121.6 million internationally, already making it the highest-grossing musical biopic debut ever, surpassing both Bohemian Rhapsody and Straight Outta Compton. It recouped roughly 110% of its $200 million production budget within just two days of release.

The film has also become Lionsgate’s highest-grossing release in studio history, overtaking The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

What makes the milestone particularly notable is the context. Oppenheimer’s success in 2023 was significantly boosted by the viral “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, when audiences flocked to cinemas to watch Barbie and Oppenheimer back to back following widespread internet memes around their simultaneous release. Michael achieved its record without that kind of cultural…