Michael smashes UK records for biggest biopic opening
The Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' opened strongly in the UK with £11.6 million, setting a record for the biggest biopic debut in the country, though slightly behind its US performance relative to 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The film accounted for 68% of all UK and Ireland box office takings over its opening weekend. It achieved a global opening of $217 million, positioning it as a potential contender to become the first music biopic to surpass $1 billion in earnings. The film covers Jackson's life up to 1988, before public allegations of child sexual abuse emerged.
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Just beat it … Jaafar Jackson in Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua. Photograph: LionsgateView image in fullscreenJust beat it … Jaafar Jackson in Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua. Photograph: LionsgateMoviesMichael smashes UK records for biggest biopic openingMichael Jackson biopic debuted with £11.6m at the UK box office – almost double achieved by next-best Bohemian RhapsodyCatherine ShoardTue 28 Apr 2026 08.09 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleMichael, Antoine Fuqua’s authorised biopic of Michael Jackson’s life until 1988, before allegations of child sexual assault began to emerge against the singer, has performed marginally less impressively in the UK than the US.In the US, Michael outperformed the opening for Bohemian Rhapsody – the highest grossing music biopic of all time, with which Michael shares a producer in Graham King – by 90%, taking $97m (£72m) to its $51m (£38m).In the UK, however, Michael took £11.6m to Bohemian Rhapsody’s £6.4m – a ratio of 81%. It nonetheless represents a resounding success for the project and studio Universal, and accounted for 68% of all takings in the UK and Ireland over the three days from Friday to Sunday.Michael moonwalks to $217m opening weekend, shattering box office records for a biopicRead moreOther well-performing music biopics in the UK include Rocketman (£4m), Elvis (£4m) and A Complete Unknown (£2.6m).Universal’s animation The Super Mario Galaxy Movie came in second place, for a rolling total of $46.5m (£34.5m), while Sony’s Project Hail Mary came third – its current UK total is $43.1m (£31.2m).The Super Mario Galaxy Movie retains the crown for the biggest UK opening of 2026 so far, with £15m, followed by Michael, and then Wuthering Heights and Project Hail Mary, each of which made around £7m over their first three days.The enormous global box office result for Michael ($217m [£161m] worldwide, with the film yet to open in the key territory of Japan) represents a remarkable result for Jackson’s estate, and puts the film firmly on course to become the first music biopic to make more than $1bn (Bohemian Rhapsody took $900m [£668m]).Explore more on these topicsFilmMichaelMichael JacksonBiopicsBohemian RhapsodynewsShareReuse this content
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