Antoine Fuqua's Michael crossed $1 billion at the global box office on July 12, becoming only the 62nd film in history to reach that threshold. The film earned $371.8 million domestically and $629.8 million internationally, according to Box Office Mojo.
The records are stacked. Michael is the first biopic ever to cross $1 billion, surpassing Oppenheimer's $975.8 million to become the highest-grossing film based on a real person, and eclipsing Bohemian Rhapsody's $911 million as the highest-grossing music biography. For Lionsgate, the stakes are equally historic: it is the studio's first film to clear the billion-dollar mark, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($865 million, 2013), which had held the record for over a decade.
The film, released April 22, stars Jaafar Jackson as his late uncle, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long as Joe and Katherine Jackson. It opened to $217.4 million worldwide, a record for any biopic, and has held theaters for 12 weekends. It arrived on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on July 14.
"Reaching this extraordinary $1 billion milestone with Michael is a deeply humbling moment that celebrates the tireless dedication of our incredible producers, cast, crew, and partners," Fuqua said, according to JoBlo. Lionsgate is already thinking ahead. Adam Fogelson, the studio's Motion Picture Chair, confirmed that sequel discussions are progressing. "There is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story, and much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalog that were not touched upon in the first film," he told reporters, per JoBlo. "All the conversations that we've been having with all of the appropriate parties continue to go exceptionally well."