‘Michael’ Biopic Surpasses ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to Become Highest-Grossing Music Film Ever

‘Michael’ becomes highest-grossing music biopic in history – overtaking ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with $911M+ at global box office

June 15, 2026 By Mandy Dalugdug

Michael , the Michael Jackson biopic, is now the highest-grossing music biopic in history, having grossed $911.9 million at the global box office to overtake Bohemian Rhapsody .

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Lionsgate confirmed the figure to Rolling Stone .

That total comprises $358.6 million domestically and $553.3 million from international markets and, as the studio noted, it does not yet include the film’s most recent weekend, meaning the record is still climbing.

It edges Michael past the $910.8 million lifetime worldwide gross of Bohemian Rhapsody , the 2018 Freddie Mercury and Queen biopic that won star Rami Malek a Best Actor Oscar.

The margin at the point of overtake was slim, barely $1 million, but it widened fast: by Sunday (June 14), Michael’s worldwide haul had reached approximately $932.2 million.

The scale of that number becomes clearer in context. Only Michael and Bohemian Rhapsody have taken the music-biopic genre anywhere near the $900 million mark.

Every other title sits far below. Box Office Mojo figures put Elvis ( 2022 ) a distant third at $288.7 million , followed by Straight Outta Compton ( 2015 ) at $202.2 million , Rocketman ( 2019 ) at roughly $195 million , Bob Marley: One Love ( 2024 ) at $180.8 million , and the Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown ( 2024 ) at $140 million .

No music biopic outside the top two has crossed $300 million .

For the music industry, the box-office milestone is only part of the story. The film has driven a sharp, sustained surge in Michael Jackson ‘s streaming since it opened.

When MBW reported the film passing $500 million , Luminate data showed Jackson’s catalog streams jumping 95% on its opening weekend versus the weekend before, his Spotify monthly listeners climbing by 5 million (from around 68 million to 73 million ), and 14 of his songs charting simultaneously on Spotify’s global weekly chart, led by Billie Jean at No. 3 . Thriller also returned to the Billboard 200’s top 10 .

That windfall matters commercially to Sony Music Group . In a deal that closed in late 2023 and was cleared by a California appeals court in August 2024 , Sony Music acquired a 50% stake in Jackson’s publishing and recorded-masters catalog, a transaction that valued his music rights at around $1.5 billion , with Sony reported to have paid in the region of $750 million for its half.

The catalog includes his Mijac publishing company, home to Jackson’s own compositions plus works by Sly & the Family Stone , Curtis Mayfield and Ray Charles .

There is an added twist for Sony . The company also controls Queen ‘s catalog, acquired in a deal reportedly valued at around £1 billion ( $1.27 billion ). That means both the film Michael just dethroned, Bohemian Rhapsody ,  which is built on Queen’s music, and  Michael itself now drive  streaming activity into Sony -owned catalogs.

The Jackson acquisition was one of a run of blockbuster catalog deals by Sony Music Group under chairman Rob Stringer that have cumulatively pushed the company’s M&A spending past $6 billion over the past decade , per MBW’s estimate.

Michael was directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan , with Jaafar Jackson, Jackson’s nephew, making his screen debut in the title role. It was produced by Graham King , who also produced Bohemian Rhapsody , alongside the estate’s co-executors John Branca and John McClain . Lionsgate distributed the film in the US, with Universal Pictures handling international markets.

The result rewrites several record books. Michael is now Lionsgate ‘s highest-grossing theatrical release ever. Its $218.8 million global opening was the biggest debut for a music biopic in history, while its $97.2 million domestic bow beat the prior genre record: Straight Outta Compton ‘s $60.2 million in 2015 .

The film also ranks as the second-biggest release of 2026 worldwide and the second-highest-grossing biopic of any kind, trailing only Oppenheimer (around $975.8 million ). For Graham King , it means surpassing his own genre record.

The film only opened in Japan,  long one of Jackson’s strongest markets, on June 12 , leaving room for the total to grow further. With momentum still building, Michael could yet become only the second film of 2026 to cross $1 billion worldwide. Music Business Worldwide

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_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/michael-becomes-highest-grossing-music-biopic-in-history-overtaking-bohemian-rhapsody-with-911m-at-global-box-office/)._