With nearly a billion in revenue, Michael becomes the highest-grossing biopic in history

With the freedom to blame, the authors of Michael preferred flattering praise. Released in April, the film turns out to be a peak of hagiography, according to Le Figaro . This does not prevent it from entering the pantheon of the seventh art, becoming the most lucrative biographical film in history. With $977 million at the worldwide box office, Antoine Fuqua’s feature film is right up there with the superhero blockbusters.

From Michael Jackson, here played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, the screenplay retraces his childhood, early fame under the rule of his father, then the road to extraordinary personal success. Michael grossed $607.2 million overseas and $370.2 million in the United States. Enough to exceed Oppenheimer (2023), the story of Robert Oppenheimer, physicist and father of the bomb, told by Christopher Nolan.

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A record in France

In the ranking of the most profitable biographical films also appear Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), dedicated to Queen. The threshold of 900 million dollars in revenue had been exceeded. Alongside these monster results, Elvis (2022) et Rocketman (2019), about Elton John, would almost pale in comparison. The first raked in 288 million dollars, the second, 195 million.

Michael’s great success should convince the producers to give him a sequel. “There is at least one more film to be made”estimated Adam Fogelson, president of Lionsgate Studio, in April in Business Insider. The question of the representation on screen of the controversies and legal cases which affected the career of Michael Jackson, carefully passed over in silence in the biopic, will necessarily arise.

Proof that the king of pop keeps his crown even in France, Michael recorded 5,250,835 entries in France. Something to hide from The Kid the title of musical biopic the most seen in our country. Olivier Dahan’s film, directed by Marion Cotillard, attracted 5,242,769 spectators in theaters when it was released in 2007, before shining in the United States.