Recommendations of the Editorial team
“Michael” has officially overtaken the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” to become the highest-grossing music biopic in history with $911.9 million at the global box office.
Lionsgate confirmed the numbers to ROLLING STONE: “Michael” grossed $358 million domestically and another $553 million internationally – not including the current weekend’s takings. For comparison: The Queen film from 2018 grossed $910 million worldwide during its theatrical run and also secured an Oscar for Best Actor for leading actor Rami Malek.
“Michael,” which traces Michael Jackson’s early years with his brothers in the Jackson 5 through his 1988 “Bad” tour, is a box office hit despite poor reviews and the backlash caused by the filmmakers’ decision to leave out allegations of child sexual abuse from Jackson’s later years.
“Thriller” back in the charts
Directed by “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua, the biopic has also sparked a wave of interest in Jackson’s back catalog: “Thriller” climbed to number seven on the “Billboard” 200. Jackson’s solo work recorded a career-high 137.5 million official on-demand streams in the U.S. in its opening week of April 24-30, according to “Billboard,” a 146 percent increase over his previous record.
The music he recorded with the Jackson 5 (and later the Jacksons) in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s also experienced a resurgence: 10.1 million streams that week, up 135 percent from the previous week.
It’s all a huge triumph for the Jackson estate, after a very tumultuous production that included the revelation that the filmmakers were blocked by court order from depicting plaintiff Jordan Chandler’s abuse allegations. The entire third act was then reshot, and the theatrical release was delayed by almost a year.