Michael hasn't stopped increasing its box office total yet, and that's put it on the verge of claiming a final massive record. Lionsgate's Michael Jackson biopic has been nothing short of a global phenomenon since it hit theaters in April. The interest in seeing the early years of his career on the big screen propelled the Antoine Fuqua-directed feature to break countless records.
With Jaafar Jackson stepping into his uncle's shoes, Michael was an instant box office hit. It made $97 million domestically in its opening weekend, setting a new record for biopics. Its $217 million global debut was also an all-time high for the genre. Michael went on to become Lionsgate's biggest box office earner ever, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
From there, the movie beat Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic. It then toppled Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to go down in history as the biggest biopic overall. Shortly thereafter, Michael passed the $1 billion milestone, but that might not be its final box office accomplishment anymore.
Side A · 33⅓ RPM How Well Do You Know Michael Jackson's Music? “Who's Bad?”
🧟Thriller'Cause this is thriller
💎Billie JeanShe's just a girl
⚡Beat ItJust beat it
🕺MoonwalkMotown 25
🎩BadShamone!
01
Released in November 1982, Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. The producer behind its glossy fusion of pop, funk, rock and disco had already worked with Michael on Off the Wall and would return for Bad. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Quincy Jones — Michael met him on the set of The Wiz (1978), and Jones went on to produce the trio of albums that defined Michael's solo career: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987). Thriller has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide. George Martin produced The Beatles. Berry Gordy ran Motown. Rod Temperton wrote the title track but didn't produce.
✗ Off the beat. The answer is Quincy Jones. George Martin was The Beatles' producer. Berry Gordy founded Motown and signed the Jackson 5 but wasn't behind the boards on Thriller. Rod Temperton wrote the title track “Thriller” (plus “Rock with You” and “Off the Wall”) but it was Quincy Jones who produced all three of Michael's adult-era masterpieces.
02
On May 16, 1983, NBC aired the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special. Dressed in a sequined jacket and single white glove, Michael unveiled the moonwalk to the world during a solo performance of which song?
✓ Correct! Billie Jean. After performing Jackson 5 hits with his brothers, Michael took the stage alone for a lip-synced “Billie Jean” and glided backwards across it — a move he'd been refining from street dancers and mime technique. Motown 25 became one of the most-watched TV specials of the 80s and cemented Michael as the biggest solo star on the planet.
✗ Off the beat. The answer is Billie Jean. “Rock with You” and “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough” are from Off the Wall. “Beat It” is on Thriller but wasn't the Motown 25 solo number. It was “Billie Jean” — mime-walked, glove-flashed, and watched by an estimated 47 million Americans live.
03
Long before Thriller, an eleven-year-old Michael fronted his brothers on the Jackson 5's first Motown single — a bouncing piece of bubblegum soul that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. What was the song?
✓ Correct! “I Want You Back” — released October 1969, written by The Corporation (Berry Gordy and his in-house team) and topping the Hot 100 by January 1970. The Jackson 5 then did something no act had done before: their next three singles (“ABC,” “The Love You Save,” “I'll Be There”) also all hit #1, giving them four straight chart-toppers to start their career.
✗ Off the beat. The answer is “I Want You Back.” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I'll Be There” were the group's next three singles — each also hit #1, making them the first act ever to see their first four Motown releases top the Hot 100. But “I Want You Back,” from October 1969, was the one that broke them.
04
Thriller's genre-smashing rock crossover “Beat It” features a blistering guitar solo recorded as a favour to Quincy Jones — reportedly for a case of beer, with no pay and no credit on the original sleeve. Which rock legend played it?
✓ Correct! Eddie Van Halen — Van Halen were touring when Quincy Jones phoned. Eddie dropped by Westlake Studios, cut two takes for free (and, yes, allegedly a case of beer), and was so uncredited on the first pressings that fans didn't realise it was him. The solo helped “Beat It” become a smash on MTV and rock radio at a time when black artists rarely crossed that line.
✗ Off the beat. The answer is Eddie Van Halen. Slash played on Michael's later song “Black or White.” Jimmy Page is Led Zeppelin. Prince was famously offered the duet on “Bad” but turned it down. Eddie Van Halen's “Beat It” solo — recorded in a single afternoon, uncredited, supposedly paid in beer — is one of the most famous guitar solos in pop history.
05
In January 1985, Michael co-wrote the charity single “We Are the World” for USA for Africa — recorded in a single overnight session with 46 superstars after the American Music Awards. Which fellow soul icon shared the writing credit with him?
✓ Correct! Lionel Richie — the two wrote the song in about a week, with Quincy Jones producing. Harry Belafonte had the original idea, Ken Kragen organised the session, and a handwritten studio sign told arriving superstars to “Check your egos at the door.” It sold over 20 million copies and won four Grammys including Record and Song of the Year.
✗ Off the beat. The answer is Lionel Richie. Stevie Wonder sang on the record and helped in the studio but didn't co-write it. Paul McCartney collaborated with Michael on “The Girl Is Mine” and “Say Say Say,” not this one. Smokey Robinson wrote at Motown. Richie and Jackson wrote “We Are the World” together in about a week, with Quincy Jones producing.
06
Released in December 1983, the nearly 14-minute “Thriller” short film — with its werewolf cold open, red leather jacket and graveyard zombie choreography — changed the music video forever. Which filmmaker directed it?
✓ Correct! John Landis — Michael had loved Landis' 1981 horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London and specifically asked him to direct. Special-effects maestro Rick Baker handled the werewolf/zombie makeup, Vincent Price delivered the iconic rap at the end, and the making-of documentary became one of the best-selling VHS tapes ever. Scorsese later directed “Bad.” Bob Giraldi directed “Beat It.”
✗ Off the beat. The answer is John Landis — fresh off 1981's An American Werewolf in London, which is why Michael picked him. Scorsese would direct the “Bad” video four years later. De Palma didn't do a MJ video. Bob Giraldi directed “Beat It.” Landis also made the 35-minute making-of special that turned into a home-video sensation.
07
When Bad arrived in August 1987, Michael didn't just follow Thriller — he set a Billboard record that no album had achieved before. What was the milestone?
✓ Correct! Five #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — a first for any album. The run: “I Just Can't Stop Loving You” (with Siedah Garrett), “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Dirty Diana.” Bad also launched Michael's first world tour as a solo artist and featured the Martin Scorsese-directed title-track video opposite a young Wesley Snipes.
✗ Off the beat. The answer is five #1 singles on the Hot 100. Diamond certification wasn't created until 1999. The first album to debut at #1 was Elton John's Captain Fantastic (1975). Simultaneous CD/vinyl releases weren't a Bad-specific milestone. Bad's five chart-toppers — from “I Just Can't Stop Loving You” through “Dirty Diana” — was the record no album had ever hit before.
08
Michael is universally known as the “King of Pop,” but the nickname was specifically popularised by a close friend who bestowed it on him while presenting him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989. Who was she?
✓ Correct! Elizabeth Taylor — a close friend of Michael's since the 80s — called him “the true king of pop, rock and soul” while presenting the Soul Train Heritage Award in March 1989. He embraced the moniker, eventually insisting media outlets use it when referring to him. Diana Ross had mentored him at Motown. Oprah did the famous 1993 Neverland interview. Whitney Houston was a peer and collaborator on USA for Africa.
✗ Off the beat. The answer is Elizabeth Taylor — at the Soul Train Heritage Award in March 1989, she hailed him as “the true king of pop, rock and soul.” Diana Ross was his Motown mentor. Oprah Winfrey later did the landmark 1993 living-room interview at Neverland. Whitney Houston sang on “We Are the World” but didn't coin the nickname. Taylor and Michael were genuinely close friends.
End of Side B · Stylus Up Your King of Pop Rank
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Moonwalker — or still warming up the turntable?
Thanks to sustained interest nearly three months later, Michael needs less than $1 million now to become 2026's highest-grossing movie. That will give it practically every box office record among biopics and a tally untouched by this year's other releases, at least for now.
When Michael Will Become 2026's Highest-Grossing Movie At The Box Office
After 13 weeks in theaters, Michael's box office total sits at $1,010,133,475. The only movie with a greater total is The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which holds the top spot on the yearly chart with $1,010,692,491.
That puts Michael only $559,016 behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie for the year's record-high gross. Lionsgate should be able to confirm the biopic moving ahead of Illumination's animated sequel within the next week, even if the latter adds to its total slightly in the days ahead.
Despite how low the target number is, domestic audiences won't contribute much more. Michael is down to less than 200 theaters and didn't even make $500K over the last week in theaters here. The good news for the movie is that it's continued to play well overseas, where it's picked up nearly another $10 million over the last 10 days.
As long as interest doesn't suddenly die out (which is unlikely since Michael is only available in theaters and on digital), Lionsgate will see its movie move into the top spot within a matter of days. It'll be a final record to top off an incredible theatrical run.
Michael Won't Be 2026's Highest-Grossing Movie For Long
Michael Jackson's biopic may make the King of Pop the year's box office king, but it won't last forever. In fact, Michael could be pushed back to second place within a week of getting the top spot.
This is due to Toy Story 5 surging toward a franchise-record box office total. There's still over $50 million Pixar's animated movie needs to make to pass Michael, but it can make that within a week's time thanks to the title's relevance domestically and internationally.
Toy Story 5 should become a $1 billion movie in the next two weeks at worst, and it could happen sometime this week at best. That gives Michael a narrow window to pass The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and lay claim to the title of being 2026's highest-grossing movie.
Even though Michael won't finish 2026 as the year's biggest box office hit, it will still go down as one of the most successful releases. It made over 5x its reported budget and broke all these records. Lionsgate is even keen on making a sequel, looking to tell the next chapter in Michael Jackson's life and hopefully repeat this level of financial success.
