Jaafar Jackson Drives Michael to $911.9 Million Worldwide
Jaafar Jackson carried Michael to $911.9 million worldwide, giving the Michael Jackson biopic the top spot among musical biopics. The total puts Antoine Fuqua’s film ahead of Bohemian Rhapsody, another Graham King production, and leaves Japan as the market most likely to extend the run.
Jaafar Jackson and Fuqua
The film reached $358.6 million domestically and $553.3 million internationally before this latest milestone. Universal generated $540.5 million of the international total after taking foreign theatrical and ancillary rights, a reminder that the movie’s scale has been built as much overseas as in the United States.
Graham King has now produced the two titles at the center of this race. Bohemian Rhapsody grossed $216.6 million in the United States and $694.3 million abroad, the benchmark Michael has now passed worldwide.
Japan and the $1 billion chase
Michael arrived in Japan on the day of the report, with Lionsgate partnering with Kino for the release. That market matters because Japan alone could push the film toward $1 billion worldwide, which would make it only the second title to cross that mark at the 2026 global box office after Universal’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
The movie has already collected $10 million in Russia, where Lionsgate holds theatrical release rights. Even so, the Japan launch is the swing factor now, not another domestic milestone.
$50 million in reshoots
The route to this record included $50 million in reshoots after the Jackson estate overlooked a key plot point in the screenplay about one of Michael Jackson’s accusers. That spending did not stop the box office result; it simply raised the cost of getting the film to this point.
For Jaafar Jackson, the commercial verdict is clear: the performance has translated into the biggest musical biopic ever, and the remaining overseas play could still add enough to move Michael into the $1 billion club.
