Michael tracks to $95M domestic
- Lionsgate’s Michael, Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic starring Jaafar Jackson, surged to a projected $94 million to $100 million opening weekend in North America after a huge Friday start. - The film earned about $39.5 million to $41 million on opening day, with worldwide launch estimates climbing past $200 million as weekend projections rose on Saturday. - The debut would rank as Lionsgate’s biggest post-pandemic opening and one of the largest music-biopic starts ever, up from earlier $65 million-$70 million forecasts. (deadline.com)
Lionsgate’s Michael is opening far above early forecasts, with the Michael Jackson biopic now projected to debut at roughly $94 million to $100 million in North America. (deadline.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) Deadline reported Saturday, April 25, that Michael grossed $39.5 million on Friday, while The Hollywood Reporter put opening-day revenue at about $41 million. Both outlets said the film’s domestic opening was trending near $100 million. (deadline.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) Worldwide, Michael was projected to open above $200 million, with Deadline estimating more than $206 million in global ticket sales. The film opened domestically through Lionsgate and internationally through Universal Pictures. (deadline.com) (wikipedia.org) That is a sharp jump from pre-release tracking earlier in the week. Variety reported on April 22 that Michael was aiming for $65 million to $70 million domestically, while Deadline’s April 21 preview put the worldwide start near $150 million. (variety.com) (deadline.com) The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson. Reviews were mixed, but The New York Times reported that audience response helped fuel stronger-than-expected commercial momentum over opening weekend. (nytimes.com) (deadline.com) Trade outlets framed the launch as a record-setting result for the biopic category. TheWrap said Michael had already moved past Oppenheimer for the biggest opening weekend ever for a biographical film, based on industry estimates. (thewrap.com) For Lionsgate, the opening is one of the studio’s strongest in years. The Hollywood Reporter described it as a major victory for the mini-major studio, and Deadline called it Lionsgate’s best post-Covid debut. (hollywoodreporter.com) (deadline.com) The final domestic weekend number will be reported after Sunday grosses are counted, but by Saturday the story had already shifted from a strong debut to a near-$100 million opening. (deadline.com) (hollywoodreporter.com)
