Michael posts $217.4M opening

Lionsgate’s Michael opened at No. 1 with about $97.2 million domestically and $218.8 million worldwide after arriving in U.S. theaters on April 24. (boxofficemojo.com) (michael.movie) Deadline reported the film added $120.3 million from 82 international territories, enough to set a new global opening mark for a musical biopic. (deadline.com) The movie stars Jaafar Jackson as his uncle Michael Jackson and was directed by Antoine Fuqua, with Lionsgate distributing in the United States and Universal handling most overseas markets. (michael.movie) (deadline.com) Before opening weekend, Variety said Michael was tracking for $65 million to $70 million from roughly 3,900 North American theaters. The final domestic result came in well above that range. (variety.com) (boxofficemojo.com) The release had been pushed back to April 2026 after earlier plans for 2025. Deadline and Rolling Stone reported the delay followed reshoots and legal issues tied to the film’s later-period material. (deadline.com) (rollingstone.com) Box Office Mojo lists a $155 million production budget, which means the opening weekend alone covered a large share of the film’s reported cost before marketing and theater splits. (boxofficemojo.com) Coverage after release split between box-office enthusiasm and debate over the movie’s treatment of Jackson’s life. International Business Times reported the film omits the 1993 lawsuit because of legal restrictions and that filmmakers have discussed a sequel covering later years. (ibtimes.co.uk) For now, the immediate result is straightforward: a delayed, heavily scrutinized biopic arrived with one of 2026’s biggest starts and the strongest opening yet for its genre. (deadline.com) (boxofficemojo.com)