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Michael biopic breaks April box office record with $210m opening weekend globally
Lionsgate's Jaafar Jackson-led musical drama smashes April records, signalling a return to form for theatrical biopics.
LOS ANGELES — "Michael," the long-awaited biographical drama about pop superstar Michael Jackson, opened to a staggering $210 million at the global box office this weekend, setting a new record for an April release and confirming Lionsgate's biggest theatrical debut in the studio's history.
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson — the late singer's nephew — earned $87.3 million in North America from 4,125 theaters and $122.7 million internationally across 78 markets, according to figures released Sunday afternoon by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson.
"This is a generational moment for moviegoing," Fogelson said in a statement. "Audiences came out in numbers we haven't seen for a music biopic since 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' and the international response has been simply extraordinary."