Michael set to top Bohemian Rhapsody

The box-office story here is simpler than the hype makes it sound. Michael is a hit — a very big one. But as of Saturday, May 9, 2026, it has not passed Bohemian Rhapsody as the top domestic music biopic. The current gap is still real, and it is not tiny. Michael has raced out faster, but Bohemian Rhapsody had much longer legs. ### So what actually happened? Michael opened on April 24 in the U.S. and Canada and immediately smashed the biopic opening record with $97.2 million domestic and $217.4 million worldwide in its first weekend. That part is not in dispute — it was enormous. The movie also became the best opening ever for a music biopic, blowing past Bohemian Rhapsody’s $51.1 million start. ### Where does the domestic race stand now? (boxofficemojo.com) This is where the headline gets shaky. Box Office Mojo shows Michael at $203,989,704 domestic through Thursday, May 7. Bohemian Rhapsody finished with $216,668,042 domestic. So Michael is still $12.68 million short. That means it is close, but “set to top” only works if this weekend comes in strong enough to close that gap. As of the latest posted totals, it has not happened yet. (deadline.com) ### Why did people think it was about to happen? Because Michael started way faster. A $97.2 million opening gives a movie a huge head start, and the second weekend was solid too — $54.4 million, down 44%. That is a healthy hold for a front-loaded event movie. If you just look at the first two weekends, it feels like a runaway record breaker. But domestic totals are about endurance, not just launch speed. (boxofficemojo.com) ### Why is Bohemian Rhapsody still ahead? Because that movie just kept going. It opened to $51.1 million, which looked modest next to Michael, but then it legged out to $216.7 million domestic and more than $911 million worldwide. Basically, Bohemian Rhapsody ran like a marathoner. Michael is running like a sprinter. A huge opening is great, but if weekday drops come in harder, the final total can still land lower. (boxofficemojo.com) ### Is Michael still a massive success? Yes — especially worldwide. Box Office Mojo lists Michael at $487.84 million global after just two weeks, with $283.85 million from international markets. That already puts it in rare territory for the genre. Even if it never catches Bohemian Rhapsody domestically, it has already proven there is still a giant global audience for theatrical music biopics built as event movies. (boxofficemojo.com) ### What helped Michael hit so hard? The release was built like a spectacle, not a niche awards play. IMAX contributed heavily on opening weekend, and the audience response was much stronger than the reviews. Variety noted an A- CinemaScore even with critics largely negative, which tells you the core crowd showed up ready to embrace it. That matters because biopics live or die on broad turnout, not just prestige buzz. (boxofficemojo.com) ### What’s the catch? The catch is that Michael is also expensive. Reports around release put the net production cost in the $155 million to roughly $200 million range after extra shooting and late changes. So even a huge gross needs context — this was not a cheap adult drama overperforming. It was a very large swing that needed a very large audience. ### Bottom line? Michael looks like the next giant music biopic, but the specific “it already beat Bohemian Rhapsody domestically” line is premature. (deadline.com) The real news is that it has a record opening, a real shot at the domestic crown, and a worldwide run that already makes it one of the genre’s biggest ever. (boxofficemojo.com 1) (boxofficemojo.com 2)