Michael beats Project Hail Mary, Oppenheimer with $97M box office collection, breaks record on Rotten Tomatoes

The biopic of Michael Jackson is off to an impressive start after its opening weekend. The film, starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson, raked in $97 million in North America, as reported by Forbes. Earning another $120.4 million, the film's total global business now stands at $217 million.

Michael beats Project Hail Mary, Straight Outta Compton, Oppenheimer

Michael became the second biggest opener of 2026, beating Ryan Gosling's Project Hail Mary, which marked its debut at $80.5 million. However, it fell short of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which had opened to $131.7 million earlier this month.

Michael has also hit a new milestone for a musical biopic. It saw the biggest opening weekend in the genre, surpassing the previous record by Straight Outta Compton ($60.2 million, 2015), according to the Forbes report. Besides this, the film also emerged as the biggest opener among all biopics overall, overtaking Oppenheimer, which had debuted with $82.4 million in 2023.

Michael has already surpassed the predictions of film trade business experts. Forbes reported that the biopic was expected to gross between $65 million and $75 million in its opening weekend.

Ratings jump on Rotten Tomatoes surpassing Rocketman, Elvis.

The much-awaited biopic of Michael Jackson has mostly received mixed to negative critical reception so far from film reviewers. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has garnered a 38% score based on 211 critic reviews.

However, the box office numbers suggest an overwhelmingly positive response from viewers with 97% rating from over 5,000 verified users on Rotten Tomatoes.

One among them wrote, "Excellent movie!! Would watch it again." "Superb! It hits ALL the right feels and the Music Numbers are Electric!!! A Repeat Viewing is a MUST," added another one.

Michael is reported to be the highest-rated musical biopic on the website, replacing hits like Rocketman and Elvis.

What did critics say

Many film reviewers complained about the filtered look at Michael Jackson's life. For the unversed, the film didn't include the most controversial bits, such as the child sexual abuse allegations against the late singer.

However, going by early reviews, many also praised Jaafar Jackson, who made his acting debut in the titular role. Critics also mentioned his resemblance to the King of Pop.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael is based on the life story of Michael Jackson. The musical explores his personal life and his journey to stardom, including his early days in The Jackson 5 and his rise to fame.

It also includes his career and personal struggles that later affected his life behind the scenes. It also stars Nia Long, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Laura Harrier, Jessica Sula, Mike Myers, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo in supporting roles.

Michael sequel confirmed?

Meanwhile, Part 2 might be on the cards soon. According to USA Today, the makers of the film are said to be discussing the possibility of Michael 2. Reportedly, unused footage from the biopic could be put to use with a part 2.

Lionsgate had previously confirmed that if everything goes well, a sequel to Michael can be explored. However, they are yet to announce a second film formally.

Lionsgate Motion Picture chairman Adam Fogelson told The Hollywood Reporter that the "filmmaking team has been hard at work being ready for a second film, and when the right moment comes, we would be excited to announce that that is definitively happening." On the other hand, Jaafar Jackson told Entertainment Tonight that the sequel is "in the early development right now."