Michael becomes the most viewed musical biopic in France and dethrones La Môme

The king of pop has set a new record in France. According to the latest French box office figures published Wednesday June 10, Michaelthe biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua, has become the most viewed biographical film in history in France.

Released on April 22, the feature film now has 5,250,835 admissions, thus exceeding The Kid by Olivier Dahan, which attracted 5,242,769 spectators when it was released in 2007. The film dedicated to Édith Piaf then marked the history of French cinema by allowing Marion Cotillard to win both the César and the Oscar for best actress thanks to her interpretation of the singer.

Skip the ad

Devoted to the early years of Michael Jackson’s career until the end of the 1980s, Michael established itself as a phenomenon from its launch. At the end of its first week of operation, it had already attracted nearly 1.4 million spectators, marking the second best start of the year 2026 in France.

The most profitable in history?

After leading the weekly box office for six consecutive weeks, the film recently left the podium in favor of Scary Movie et The Battle of Gaulle. However, it continues to attract the public, with nearly 200,000 new entries recorded last week. This success comes despite the controversies surrounding the figure of Michael Jackson, which the film does not address.

Watch the video

Filming of the Johnny Hallyday biopic will begin on June 1

The first part concludes with the statement: « His story continues… » (“His story continues”), suggesting that a second part is planned. She could then address the controversies surrounding the king of pop. Present at the Berlin premiere of the film on April 10, producer Graham King, already at the origin of Bohemian Rhapsodyhowever, was cautious on the issue: “We are fully considering how to continue his story, but we will see what happens. »

The craze goes far beyond French borders. Globally, Michael has already generated $900 million in revenue for an estimated budget of $150 million. In the United States, the film dominated the box office in its first week of release with $97 million in revenue. It has also not yet been released in all territories. Japan, where Michael Jackson remains immensely popular, is due to discover the film on June 12.

The feature film could soon exceed the 911 million dollars collected by Bohemian Rhapsodydedicated to Freddie Mercury and the group Queen, and become the most profitable biopic in the history of cinema.

Skip the ad

Biopic or not biopic ?

And Michael now dominates the ranking of musical biopics in France, its status as the most viewed biopic in the history of the French box office is debated. The question lies in the very definition of the biopic. Between biographical film, historical fresco and story inspired by real events, the boundaries are sometimes blurred. In a broader sense of the genre, Lawrence of Arabia by David Lean, released in 1962 and inspired by the life of TE Lawrence, remains in front with 5.7 million admissions.

In this expanded ranking, Michael would therefore occupy second place among the most viewed biopics in France, ahead of The Kid, The Last Emperor, Amadeus, Oppenheimer, Bohemian Rhapsody, Gandhi or even Simone, the trip of the century .