Michael, much like the King of Pop himself, has emerged out to be a generational movie that has broken every record possible, and is well on its way to set a new one, needing just $41 million more to do so. The Michael Jackson biopic overtook Bohemian Rhapsody, the story of Freddie Mercury and his band Queen, becoming the highest-grossing musical ever. Now, it has set its sights on a new record.

It is now just a matter of $41 million more, and it will set itself in a league of its own with a record-setting run as a musical biopic.

Michael to establish a historic record next

As of June 21, 2026, Michael has grossed over $959M at the global box office, per FilmUpdates via X (formerly Twitter). The movie has already surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, and it is now steadily making its way to breach the $1 billion mark to become the first biopic to do so.

It will be a historic feat if it manages to reach $1 billion; however, it will still become the highest-grossing biopic of all time if it just manages to go past $975 million to dethrone Christopher Nolan’s 2024 blockbuster, Oppenheimer. But after a run of more than two months in the theaters, it seems almost impossible for the movie to reach $1 billion. But is it really so?

Michael still has an ace up its sleeve – the Japanese market. The biopic has just opened in Japan on June 12, and the demand for the movie is strong there. The film’s audience word-of-mouth score from Japanese viewers is a stellar 4.2 stars, according to box office analyst Luiz Fernando’s data. This figure exactly matches the reception Bohemian Rhapsody received during its own initial launch cycles in the country, which went on to generate a lifetime cume of $114 million in Japan alone.

But still, it seems a bit entitled to think that Michael will follow in the footsteps of a previously set precedent by Bohemian Rhapsody. However, the reason behind this belief goes beyond that.

Michael has a strong footing in Japan

Given that Jackson’s 2009 concert documentary, This Is It, made $57 million in Japan alone out of its $268 million global total, the Japanese market becomes extremely important in Michael‘s quest to break the $1 billion barrier. This shows how strongly Japanese viewers relate to the King of Pop’s legacy.

Pre-sale momentum in Japan has been cited by trade analysts as the key factor that could at least propel Michael above Oppenheimer and make it the highest-grossing biopic in movie history. Anyhow, the movie is already a huge success for Lionsgate, which has already greenlit a sequel for the biopic.

Do you think Michael will be able to pull off what no biopic has ever done before? Share your thoughts.