Antoine Fuqua's Michael Jackson biopic "Michael" did exactly what its subject would have done: it moonwalked past every record in its way.

The Lionsgate/Universal release earned $97 million domestically and $217 million globally on its opening weekend, making it the biggest debut for a music biopic in history, per Variety. The previous music biopic record holder was 2015's "Straight Outta Compton" at $60 million. "Bohemian Rhapsody" opened to $51 million in 2018. "Michael" beat both of them combined.

Globally, the film cleared $217 million — the biggest opening of all time for any music biopic, and surpassing the $174 million global debut of Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer." It is the second-biggest domestic opening of 2026 behind only "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" ($131 million).

"Michael" stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael's real-life nephew, in his acting debut as the King of Pop. Colman Domingo plays patriarch Joe Jackson, and Nia Long plays Katherine Jackson. The film traces Michael's life from his earliest days with the Jackson 5 through the 1988 Bad tour. As BET.com previously reported, Janet Jackson is notably absent from the film — La Toya Jackson confirmed at the LA premiere that her sister "kindly declined" to be portrayed.

The opening weekend success comes despite the film holding only a 38% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers have largely criticized "Michael" for sanitizing Jackson's life — a charge tied to a major behind-the-scenes drama. Per Variety, the screenplay originally dramatized the 1993 child molestation lawsuit against Jackson, which he vehemently denied. After the film was shot, producers discovered a clause in the original settlement with the accuser that barred any depiction or mention of him in film or television. Producers had to reshoot the entire third act, refocusing the film on Michael's relationship with his controlling father. The Jackson estate covered the $50 million reshoot bill, bringing total production costs to roughly $200 million.

Audiences gave the film a CinemaScore of A-, with PostTrak data showing 88% positive reactions and an 81% "definite recommend" — the metric that suggests strong word of mouth and durable legs. Friday alone brought in $39.5 million domestically. IMAX accounted for $13.8 million of the domestic haul and $24.5 million globally — the biggest IMAX opening for any music biopic ever.

"The movie has audiences on their feet singing and dancing," said David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe, per Variety. While critics felt the film "avoids the complicated parts of the performer's life," he noted, audiences are responding to it as "a feel good, nostalgic appreciation."

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Friday's audience skewed heavily toward Black and female moviegoers — the demographic that has consistently kept Michael Jackson's catalog and legacy front and center for decades. Lionsgate's domestic chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement, "If you give audiences what they want, they will come."

Lionsgate is reportedly already planning to greenlight at least one more Jackson film — the third act of his life that this film couldn't tell. If "Michael" clears $700 million worldwide as projected, it will land among the studio's biggest releases ever, behind only the top three "Hunger Games" and "Twilight" entries. The Michael Jackson catalog itself, meanwhile, is having one of its biggest streaming and album sales weeks in years. The Legacy Records soundtrack, "Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture," dropped Friday and is moving in lockstep with the film.

In short: 17 years after his death, Michael Jackson is still selling more tickets than almost anyone alive.