“You don’t deliver this number unless you’re seeing huge numbers across every conceivable demographic,” says Lionsgate’s chair Adam Fogelson. “They’re clearly having a blast, and that bodes well for a lovely multiple.”
Antoine Fuqua directed Michael, which charts the singer’s early days in the Jackson 5 to becoming one of the biggest entertainers on the planet.
Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s real-life nephew, portrays Michael in his acting debut, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long as parents, Joe and Katherine.
Film reviewers have complained that “Michael” takes a sanitized look at Jackson’s life because it doesn’t include the child sexual abuse allegations leveled against the singer later in his career.
Michael costs near $200 million, making it one of the most expensive biopics of all time. Those costs were split by Lionsgate, Universal (distributing the film internationally) and the Michael Jackson estate. Despite the behind-the-scenes headaches, the movie is proving to be worth the hefty price tag.
Michael is the biggest hit for Lionsgate in more than a decade, since 2015’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 ($102 million debut).
If ticket sales surpass $700 million worldwide, as expected, “Michael” will land among the studio’s biggest films of all time, with the top three spots belonging to 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” ($865 million globally), 2012’s “Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” ($848 million) and 2014’s “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” ($759 million).
After rought track in 2024, with a string of flops including “Borderlands,” a reboot of “The Crow” and “Wonder” prequel “White Bird,” Lionsgate’s box office fortunes have been on the upswing. Recent wins include “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t,” “The Housemaid” and “The Long Walk.”
A24’s thriller “Mother Mary,” starring Anne Hathaway as pop star making a comeback, earned $1.3 million while expanding to 1,103 theaters. After playing on five screens last weekend, “Mother Mary” has generated a so-so $1.4 million to date.
“Lorne,” a documentary about small-screen icon Lorne Michaels, struggled with $70,000 from 248 theaters. The film, directed by Morgan Neville and distributed by Focus Features, has earned $426,000 while playing in limited release.
Movie theater owners are feeling optimistic, given the string of hits from February’s “Scream 7” to early spring’s blockbusters “Project Hail Mary” and “Super Mario” and A24’s arthouse breakout “The Drama.”
Overall revenues are 15% ahead of the same point in 2025, according to Comscore — a percentage that’s dropped from a few weeks ago when ticket sales were 23% above last year.
The summer season should start strong with next weekend’s The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1) followed by the Warner action sequel “Mortal Kombat 2” and the “Star Wars” spinoff “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
“Building on the momentum of global hits like ‘Project Hail Mary’ and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,’ this weekend, Michael is proving yet again that audiences show up for compelling stories on the big screen,” said Michael O’Leary, head of the exhibition industry’s trade organization Cinema United. “Movie fan enthusiasm will continue to grow next weekend when ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ hits theaters worldwide.”
