The Michael Jackson biopic has surpassed the Elvis Presley film to become the second highest-grossing musical biopic in cinema history, grossing $577 million since its April 24 release.
The film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, 29, in the lead role, surpassed Elviswhich grossed $288.7 million worldwide in 2022, after a third weekend that grossed $95 million more.
that takes MiguelThe total amounts to 240.4 million dollars nationally and 336.88 million dollars internationally.
Only Bohemian RhapsodyFreddie Mercury’s 2018 biopic comes in ahead with $910.8 million worldwide.
The film’s box office haul has been notable from the beginning.
Its opening weekend grossed $97 million domestically and $120.4 million internationally for a worldwide debut of $217.4 million, the largest domestic opening for any biopic, surpassing oppenheimerThe $80 million debut in 2023 and the biggest worldwide opening for a musical biopic.
It set records in 63 countries in its opening weekend, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Australia and South Asia.
France has been a particularly strong market, with Miguel it topped the box office there most recently with $7.2 million in its third weekend.
The film is also expected to be released in Japan in June.
The success is even more surprising considering the controversy surrounding the production.
The total cost of the film reached $200 million after producers Graham King and Lionsgate removed any reference to the abuse allegations that followed Jackson in the final years of his career, forcing an additional 20 days of filming at a cost of $50 million.
Critics have been largely cruel—the film currently has a 35 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes—but audiences have clearly responded differently.
For Lionsgate, Miguel represents its biggest debut since the pandemic and its sixth-biggest opening to date. It has also become the second biggest opening of the year so far, behind only The Super Mario Galaxy movie.
