Overview
- Michael surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody to become the top-grossing music biopic, with reports published Sunday, June 14, putting its global total at $911.9 million.
- Box-office receipts break down to about $358.6 million domestic and $553.3 million international, with Universal accounting for roughly $540.5 million of the overseas total and Lionsgate calling it its biggest theatrical release.
- The film’s release was postponed and its third act rewritten after the Jackson estate and a prior settlement with Jordan Chandler limited depiction of an accuser, and reporting disagrees on reshoot costs, citing figures from roughly $10–15 million up to $50 million.
- Distributor moves — a staggered global rollout, strong openings in late markets like Japan, and an early premium video-on-demand window — amplified near-term revenue and kept the title climbing toward the $1 billion threshold.
- Producer Graham King, who also made Bohemian Rhapsody, has extended his box-office lead in music biopics, a result that may encourage future estate-approved projects and similar release strategies while raising questions about creative control and how sensitive subjects are handled.