For publishers, songwriters, and catalog owners, the message is immediate: screen success can still send a major wave of value back into recorded music and publishing. Michael has now become the highest-grossing music biopic in history, and the box office momentum is already translating into a measurable streaming lift for Michael Jackson’s catalog.[1]
Michael overtakes Bohemian Rhapsody
Lionsgate confirmed that Michael has grossed $911.9 million worldwide, moving past Bohemian Rhapsody’s $910.8 million lifetime total.[1] That total includes $358.6 million domestically and $553.3 million internationally, and the studio said the figure does not yet include the film’s most recent weekend.[1]
The gap widened quickly. By Sunday, June 14, Michael’s worldwide box office had climbed to approximately $932.2 million.[1] Only Michael and Bohemian Rhapsody have pushed the music-biopic genre anywhere near the $900 million mark, with every other title far behind.[1]
Streaming gains follow the box-office surge
The film’s commercial impact is not limited to theaters. When MBW reported the film crossing $500 million, Luminate data showed Jackson’s catalog streams rose 95% on opening weekend versus the prior weekend.[1] His Spotify monthly listeners also grew by 5 million, from around 68 million to 73 million, and 14 of his songs appeared simultaneously on Spotify’s global weekly chart, led by Billie Jean at No. 3.[1] Thriller also returned to the Billboard 200 top 10.[1]
That surge matters to Sony Music Group, which acquired a 50% stake in Jackson’s publishing and recorded-masters catalog in a deal that closed in late 2023 and was cleared by a California appeals court in August 2024.[1] The transaction valued his music rights at around $1.5 billion, with Sony reported to have paid about $750 million for its half.[1]
Sony now sits on both sides of the boom
Sony also controls Queen’s catalog, acquired in a deal reportedly valued at around £1 billion, or $1.27 billion.[1] That means both Bohemian Rhapsody and Michael are now driving streaming activity into Sony-owned catalogs.[1]
The Jackson acquisition was part of a broader run of catalog deals under Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer, with the company’s M&A spending estimated to have passed $6 billion over the past decade.[1]
Another record book is rewritten
Michael was directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, with Jaafar Jackson in his screen debut as Michael Jackson.[1] The film was produced by Graham King, along with estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain.[1] Lionsgate distributed the film in the U.S., while Universal Pictures handled international markets.[1]
The film is now Lionsgate’s highest-grossing theatrical release ever.[1] Its $218.8 million global opening was the biggest debut for a music biopic in history, and its $97.2 million domestic opening beat the prior genre record set by Straight Outta Compton at $60.2 million in 2015.[1]
What to watch next: Michael has already reached approximately $932.2 million worldwide, and the studio says the reported total still does not include the latest weekend, so the box office record may keep climbing.[1]
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