All articles tagged with #michael
Universal Pictures became the first studio to cross the $5 billion mark at the 2026 global box office, driven by Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey,' 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,' and 'Michael.'
Universal Pictures has become the first studio to surpass $5 billion in global box office revenue for 2026, marking the third time in its history to reach this threshold. The milestone was achieved with $1.788 billion in domestic sales and $3.218 billion internationally. This performance is 29% ahead of the studio’s 2025 total and is driven by three of the only five films to exceed $1 billion worldwide this year: 'The Odyssey,' 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,' and 'Michael.'
Universal Pictures has become the first studio to exceed $5 billion in global box office revenue for 2026, reaching the milestone with $1.788 billion domestic and $3.218 billion international. This marks the third time in the studio's history it has surpassed $5 billion in a single calendar year, following 2015 and 2017. The achievement is 29% ahead of its 2025 total of $3.89 billion. Key contributors include Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' ($1.73B+), 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' ($1B), Lionsgate's 'Michael' ($656.4M international), Focus Features' 'Obsession' ($519M), and Illumination's 'Minions & Monsters' ($523.6M). Universal topped the global weekend box office 11 times this year, and five of its films rank among the top 10 worldwide earners.
Michael has crossed $1 billion worldwide after 12 weekends, making Lionsgate’s first film to hit the milestone. Domestic gross is $371.8M and international $629.8M (Japan contributing $35.75M), with Russia boosting the run. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Graham King, the Jaafar Jackson–led musical biopic is now the highest-grossing musical biopic and the highest-grossing biopic ever, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody and Oppenheimer.
The Jaafar Jackson‑starrer Michael biopic is thriving in Japan, on track to become 2026’s third-highest grossing Hollywood release in the country with about $23.1 million earned there and an estimated $3.6–$4.6 million in its third weekend, pushing Japan’s total to around $25 million; worldwide the film is near $941.2 million and on pace to top $1 billion, challenging the biopic benchmarks set by films like Oppenheimer.
The Michael biopic has grossed $977 million worldwide, surpassing Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer ($975M) to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time and the top musical biopic, with about $607.2 million overseas and $370.2 million domestically since April. It opened to $97 million domestically and $217 million globally, and Lionsgate says the marketing focus on real-life performances and Jackson re-creations helped drive the record, with potential for more Jackson-life projects.
Universal’s Disclosure Day opened to $44M domestic and $48.9M overseas for a $92.9M global debut, with production around $115M and marketing about $80M; overseas performance is crucial for its longevity. Meanwhile Michael the Jackson biopic is nearing $950M worldwide after this weekend, potentially surpassing Oppenheimer as the top biopic, while Masters of the Universe has about $84M globally on a near-$200M budget and The Mandalorian/Grogu film has $315M globally on a $165M price tag.
The Michael biopic has dethroned Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, underscoring strong audience interest in Michael Jackson’s story and reshaping the genre’s box-office landscape.
Backrooms opened worldwide to $118M (about $36M outside the U.S.), Obsession reached $148M globally as it expands to 45 territories, and Michael sits at roughly $846M globally (domestic $339.9M, international $506.3M), nearing Bohemian Rhapsody’s $911M all-time box-office record for a musical biopic.
The Michael Jackson biopic Michael led the South Korean box office for the May 15–17 weekend, taking about $3.6 million from 470,375 admissions for a 51.0% market share and pushing its local total to $4.8 million from 647,916 admissions since its May 13 launch; other top titles included The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Salmokji: Whispering Water, with the weekend box office totaling around $6.8 million as the market recovers.
Michael remains the worldwide box office leader with a running total of about $703.8–704 million after an $83.8 million weekend (domestic $26.1 million, international $57.7 million) across 83 markets, while The Devil Wears Prada 2 has crossed $500 million globally, reaching about $546.2 million (roughly $175.9 million domestic and $370.3 million international). IMAX contributed around $5.2 million to Michael’s weekend, Korea opened strong at $4.9 million on Culture Day, and Michael continues to dominate key territories like France, the UK & Ireland, and Germany as the Prada sequel remains a major global release.
Michael returns to No. 1 at the domestic box office with $26 million in its fourth weekend, outpacing new releases like The Devil Wears Prada 2 ($18 million) and Obsession ($16 million). The biopic has $283 million in North America and $703.8 million worldwide, the top-grossing musical biopic in the U.S. and closing in on the worldwide records; Obsession opens strong in third with $16 million, while Mortal Kombat and Is God Is round out other openings. Overall, the box office is roughly 16% ahead of last year as summer releases heat up.
With no major new releases, Michael dominates the domestic box office again, taking in $7 million on Friday and tracking $25–28 million for the weekend to lift its North American total near $283 million after four weekends; Obsession opens strong with about $6.9 million on its debut day and an estimated $14.5 million for the weekend; Prada 2 debuts at No. 3 with $5.3 million on Friday and is expected to reach about $20 million by Sunday, pushing its worldwide total past $500 million; Mortal Kombat II slips to around $3.7 million on Friday with a projected $12.7 million for the weekend; The Sheep Detectives add about $2.45 million on Friday and are seen finishing the weekend near $10 million.
Disney’s The Devil Wears Prada 2 remains a box‑office force, totaling $433 million globally after two weekends with $43 million domestic and $75 million overseas this frame, and $288 million from 51 territories overall led by the UK, Italy, Brazil and Mexico, surpassing the original Prada’s $326 million. Meanwhile, Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, has $577 million worldwide with $336 million earned overseas, and $58.5 million overseas in its third weekend, underscoring its strong international pull as one of the top musical biopics.
Mortal Kombat II opened at No. 1 with about $17 million on Friday, overtaking The Devil Wears Prada 2 ($9.8M) in second, while Michael (the Michael Jackson biopic) is third with $8.8M; Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft – The Tour Live in 3D is fourth with $4.5M and The Sheep Detectives rounds out the top five with just over $4M. The Post criticized MK II as an "onscreen bucket of slop" and a "migraine of nonstop fights and idiot characters," reflecting mixed reviews despite the strong debut.