Michael surpasses Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biopic in box office history

The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has achieved a historic box office milestone, surpassing Christopher Nolan's Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biographical film ever released.

Michael overtakes Oppenheimer at the box office as the highest-grossing biopic

According to the latest global box office figures, Michael has earned an estimated $977.4 million (£715 million) worldwide, overtaking the $965 million global total achieved by Oppenheimer during its 2023 theatrical run. The film's latest achievement adds to a string of records already broken by the production since its April release.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson — the nephew of the late pop icon — Michael has emerged as one of the most commercially successful films of 2026, despite mixed reviews from critics and production challenges before its release. The film had already established itself as the highest-grossing music biopic in history earlier this month after surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody, which held the previous record with more than $910 million in worldwide ticket sales.

The film's journey to the top of the biopic rankings began with a record-breaking debut. Upon its April release, Michael grossed $217.4 million globally during its opening weekend, including $97 million in North America, setting a new benchmark for music biopics and biographical dramas.

Produced by Graham King, who also produced Bohemian Rhapsody, the film chronicles Michael Jackson's rise from his childhood years with the Jackson 5 through to the beginning of his Bad world tour in the late 1980s. The production, officially authorised by the Jackson estate, stars Jaafar Jackson in his feature film debut and has been widely praised by audiences for its musical performances and recreation of Jackson's stage persona.

Michael's commercial success has been particularly notable given the challenges the production faced before release. The film reportedly underwent significant rewrites and reshoots after legal complications emerged concerning the depiction of allegations made against Jackson in the early 1990s, resulting in delays and additional production costs.

Despite those setbacks, audience demand has remained consistently strong across international markets, with Japan — historically one of Jackson's largest fan bases — providing a significant boost to the film's global performance.

Industry analysts now expect Michael to become the first biographical film in cinema history to cross the $1 billion threshold at the global box office. If achieved, it would further cement Michael Jackson's enduring commercial and cultural influence, nearly two decades after his death in 2009.

Michael's success has also reinforced the continued popularity of musical biopics in the global marketplace, while establishing the film as one of the defining commercial success stories of 2026.