The Lionsgate film is tracking for a global launch upward of $200 million.

Jaafar Jackson at the "Michael" Los Angeles Premiere held at The Dolby Theatre on April 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Michael Buckner/Variety

Trending on Billboard

Michael is on pace to shatter box office records.

Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic debuted in theaters Friday (April 24) and is tracking for a $94 million–$100 million domestic opening, alongside a global launch north of $200 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter .

If those projections hold, the Antoine Fuqua-directed film would deliver the biggest opening ever for a music biopic, surpassing Universal’s Straight Outta Compton , which debuted to $60.1 million in 2015.

Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody opened to $51 million in 2018, ranking as the second-biggest debut for a music biopic.…