TO just over a month since release, the Michael Jackson biopic continues to set record takings all over the world. A success that perhaps few expected, has now been achieved the record sum of almost 800 million dollars. In parallel, in the music charts, his songs have forcefully returned to the top, with Gen Z listening to his entire catalog (Billie Jean is currently number 1 on Spotify’s Global Chart).
Michael Jackson back on the roof of the world: the record takings of the biopic Michael
With the Japanese market still to be conquered – the film will be released there on June 12th – the movie with Jaafar Jackson is now destined to become the most watched biopic of the history of cinema. He currently holds the record Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan which, in 2023, collected the beauty of almost 1 billion dollars (and 7 Oscar awards).
Despite fierce competition – first with The Devil Wears Prada 2now with The Mandalorian and Grogu – Antoine Fuqua’s film continues to gross a lot and it’s already at second place in the ranking of the most watched films of 2026 After The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. If even in Japan Michael were to break throughas many think, would thus conquer the summit. An “epic” undertakingespecially after the last few years where, after the documentary Leaving Neverlandthe pop star’s popularity was at an all-time low. Or at least that’s how it seemed.
Jaafar Jackson in “Michael”. (Lionsgate)
Billie Jean at the top of the Spotify charts
Parallel to the success, Jacko’s hits have also returned to the top of the charts, just like at the time of their release. According to the Billboard 200 charts of the best-selling albums, the 5th and 6th place are occupied respectively by Thriller and from Number Onesthe greatest hits with all the hits by the King of Pop released in 2003. Michael Jackson is in first place on Billboard’s Artist 100 chart.
As for Spotify, the data is even more impressive: Billie Jeanhas been at the top of the Global 200 for a week while in that of the Montly Listeners, Michael Jackson reached the 5th position in the world with beyond 105 million monthly listeners. Extraordinary results considering that the artist died in 2009.
To make a simple comparison, when the biopic came out in 2018 Bohemian Rhapsodyeven i Queen they returned to the charts streaming, albums and singles as hasn’t happened for decades, but not in such high positions. The song Bohemian Rhapsody for example it went back viral but it reached “only” the 15th position globally on Spotify in the week following the film’s release.
Michael Jackson and Gen Z: an unheralded success
The impact of the biopic Michael on Gen Z it is explained above all by the way in which younger people today discover music, i.e. through platforms such as Spotify, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. For many kids born after 2000, Michael was a legendary but distant namealmost “historical”. The biopic instead made his figure more accessible and narrative: not just the singer of Thriller but a person, a career, an aesthetic and an imagination to be rediscovered.
Michael Jackson also has an enormous advantage in this sense: his music has immediately recognizable rhythms, iconic choreographies and very strong images, perfect for the short and visual language of social media. The film therefore worked as a gigantic “cultural moment”capable of bringing Michael Jackson back to the center of the global conversation. Transforming already historical songs into contemporary content.
Social networks like X are also full of posts that are not just musical but also of excerpts from famous TV interviews. Like those granted to Oprah Winfrey in 1993 or Diane Sawyer in 1995 (together with his wife at the time Lisa Marie Presley). Interviews “uncomfortable” at the time and certainly not flattering towards Jackson’s private individual (questions about skin color, sexualityetc. etc.) that today Gen Z reads completely differently. Condemning them without mercy for the lack of delicacy in dealing with sensitive topics.
Even after the announcement of the Netflix docuseries Michael Jackson: The Verdict (out next June 3rd), fans under 25 immediately launched social campaigns to boycott it. The topic of the series, as can be seen from the title, will focus on the 2005 trial which saw Jackson in the dock for alleged acts of pedophilia. Accusations forcefully rejected not only by historical fans but also by those “conquered” thanks to the biopic. Commit yourself daily on social media to dismantle every accusation.
Michael Jackson in concert in 1987. (Getty Images)
The sequel and the future of Jaafar Jackson
After the stratospheric response at the box office, the production company Lionsgate has officially confirmed that the sequel will be developed shortly of the film. Also because, according to some photos circulating online, many parts have already been filmed but excluded from the final assembly. But not only that.
According to some rumors, Adam Fogelson, president of Lionsgate Studios, has confirmed Michael 2 in a speech to the company’s shareholders: «We think we have already shot 25-30% of a second film thanks to previous production activities.” These are the words reported by numerous sites such as Variety.
Meanwhile, Jaafar Jackson is enjoying the success of the film, including very positive reviews from the press. But there’s more: Amazon Studios has acquired the film rights to the biography of the former golf champion Tiger Woods. Which, according to some fontsi, it would be encouraging the producers to try to recruit Jaafar to interpret it.
