Michael Moonwalks Past $200M in Record Box Office Debut

Well, it turns out the world is still obsessed with Michael Jackson—at least at the box office. 'Michael', Lionsgate's much-hyped biopic (yes, the one starring nephew Jaafar Jackson in what seems to be perfect casting-by-DNA), just did numbers that would make even the King of Pop jealous.

Biopic Goes Big—Like, Really Big

The movie didn't just moonwalk into theaters; it practically did a full Thriller routine up and down the charts. 'Michael' opened to $97 million in the US and $217.4 million globally. Let that sink in: opening weekend, nearly $100 million domestically, worldwide over $200 million.

That’s more than any musical biopic has ever managed before—yeah, even beating out 2015’s 'Straight Outta Compton', which now looks positively modest with its $60.2 million start.

Star Power, High Price Tag

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film throws Jaafar Jackson into the massive sequined shoes of his late uncle, with Colman Domingo and Nia Long playing Michael’s parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson. The kicker? The reported production cost: nearly $200 million. For a biopic, that is wild—a sign that Lionsgate was clearly betting big.

The international side of the box office picture didn't disappoint, either. Universal handled those bragging rights and brought in $120.3 million from over 23,000 locations worldwide. The leaders:

• United Kingdom & Ireland: $15.6 million
• France: $10.2 million
• Mexico: $9.8 million

And if you dropped cash for an IMAX ticket, you weren’t alone. Those showings pulled $13.8 million in the States and $24.5 million total worldwide. Not pocket change.

Audiences Love It (Critics, Not So Much)

So, are people enjoying the movie? If you go by audience scores, it’s a virtual lovefest: an 'A-' on CinemaScore and 97% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, which basically means 'the crowd cheered'. The critics, meanwhile, planted their flag at a brutal 38% on the Tomatometer. Ouch.

Demographics? PostTrak says the crowd was 61% women, and two-thirds over 25 years old. Translation: nostalgia sells.

The Suits Are Pretty Happy

Lionsgate’s motion picture chairman Adam Fogelson summed it up like this:

'You don’t deliver this number unless you’re seeing huge numbers across every conceivable demographic. They’re clearly having a blast, and that bodes well for a lovely multiple.'

There’s also producer Graham King, who’s practically floating:

'I am over the moon that this film brought people together just like Michael did through his performances and music.'

The Competition Didn’t Exactly Stand a Chance

Just for added perspective, Universal's 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' trailed way behind in second place—$21.2 million for the weekend, though it's already racked up over $800 million to date. 'Project Hail Mary', meanwhile, brought in $13.2 million.

'Michael' even outdid Lionsgate’s own biggest hit of the past decade, besting 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2', which started with $102 million way back in 2015.

So yeah, for all the hype, 'Michael' delivered. The only question now is whether it’ll keep spinning or just beat it next weekend.