Overall reviews were negative, and accusations about Michael Jackson have returned to the forefront, but audiences didn’t care. Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael” pulled in a massive $97 million at the box office in the U.S. for Lionsgate, for the second biggest opening of 2026. Overseas, the response was even more of a thrill, as international distributor Universal Pictures also earned another $120 million, bringing the total to $217.4 million globally in just four days.
REVIEW: “Michael” Review: Michael Jackson’s Music And An Incredible Jaafar Jackson Lift This Compromised Biopic
The financials on “Michael” are complicated. It initially cost a reported $150 million after finishing filming in May 2024. It was soon determined that the Jackson Estate overlooked featuring the name and storyline of Jordan Chandler, who settled sexual abuse allegations against Jackson that forbade his name from being included in the film. That meant the movie’s entire third act had to be reworked, and what was originally a 3-hour epic was cut to a two-hour story focusing on one aspect of Jackson’s life. Reports indicate that an additional $50 million was spent on filming these seasons, paid for by the Jackson estate. Bloomberg reports that Fuqua and producer Graham King earned an extra $15 million and $10 million, respectively, for having to move forward with the reshoots. How the overall $200 million is recompensated and in what order to Lionsgate, Universal, and the Jackson estate is unclear, but the mini-major is leaking that a $700 million global box office tally will be necessary for a second “Michael” movie, using some discarded scenes, to move forward.
From a box office standpoint, this is a massive win for Lionsgate, giving the indie studio its biggest opening since “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” took in $102 million in 2015. “Michael” is also now the biggest musical biopic opening of all time, surpassing “Straight Outta Compton,” which earned in $60.2 million in 2015. It’s also career bests for Fuqua, King, and screenwriter John Logan. With an A- CinemaScore, it should hold steady against the early summer competition on the horizon. How big it can go remains to be seen.
Dropping just 40% in its third frame was “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” with another $21.2 million and $386.4 million domestic. Worldwide, the Universal Pictures, Illumination, and Nintendo smash has pulled in $831.4 million. A $1 billion finish is still likely, but it’s gonna be close.
Losing a ton of IMAX screens, “Project Hail Mary” still only dropped 36% for another $13.2 million and $305.5 million in the U.S. Globally, “Mary” has pulled in $613 million so far and should top out around over $680 million.
Typical for most horror films, “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” fell 58% to $5.6 million, with a new 10-day domestic gross of $23.4 million and $65.4 million worldwide. At a reported $22 million production budget, “The Mummy” is a nice single down the line for Warner Bros., Atomic Monster, and Blumhouse.
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Among other new releases, “Over Your Dead Body” earned $1.496 million in just 1,550 theaters for an OK $965 per screen. This SXSW Audience Award winner might have benefited from a less competitive weekend. Roadside Attractions dropped “Fuze” on 1,164 screens for $1 million or $865 per screen. Sony Pictures Classics’ “I Swear” pulled in $640,000 on just 645 screens for an also OK $992 per. Globally, the BAFTA Award winner has already pulled in $11.8 million.
Additionally, A24 expanded “Mother Mary” to 1,103 screens for $1.2 million or a solid $1,136 per. It’s still unclear why the indie studio decided to drop “Mary” so close to another Anne Hathaway project, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which opens on Friday.
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