The Michael Jackson musical film Michael took in $217 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the largest global debut for a biopic of any kind. The film opened to $97 million in the United States and is set to open in Japan in June.

The total surpassed the $180 million taken by Oppenheimer in 2024 and outpaced the previous musical biopic record holder, Bohemian Rhapsody, which launched with $124 million in 2018. Recent years have also produced cinematic biopics about Queen, Sir Elton John, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, NWA, Robbie Williams, and Whitney Houston.

"You don't deliver this figure unless you're seeing huge numbers across every conceivable demographic. Audiences are clearly having a blast," Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson said. Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 38% average score from critics and a 97% average rating from audiences for the film.

Michael is financially backed by Michael Jackson's estate and uses the singer's original vocals for its musical numbers. The singer's nephew Jaafar Jackson portrays Jackson, and the film leans heavily on recreated concert performances while examining Jackson's strained relationship with his father Joseph, played by Colman Domingo.

The film does not include any mention of the child sexual abuse accusations made against Jackson, who was found not guilty of child molestation in 2005. Filmmakers originally intended to include references to some of the allegations but scrapped the footage after rediscovery of a historic non-disclosure agreement Jackson made with one of his accusers. A settlement Jackson made with Jordan Chandler's family included a clause prohibiting Jackson's estate from mentioning Chandler in any movie.

The film was reworked and a series of reshoots took place after the NDA was rediscovered, with the team refocusing on Jackson's musical career. Michael now concludes in 1988, before any accusations were made.

"All movies have different challenges, but this one was unique," director Antoine Fuqua said. The reshoots contributed to a reported production cost of around $200 million, making Michael one of the most expensive biopics ever made.

Jackson was known for hits such as Billie Jean, Beat It, Smooth Criminal, and Black or White. His 1982 album Thriller is the biggest-selling album of all time.